This has been a very rough week. I won't go into detail, but any of you who happen to be married to a pastor can probably relate to my Job's wife attitude.
As I sat in the proverbial stew of my anger and disappointment, I still had to continue on with daily life, of course. Laundry, school, meal prep., child rearing, marriage and other aspects of real life don't "pause" like a TiVo when someone is having a rough week or month or year.
My sweetie was studying 2nd Corinthians during the week. He's preaching through the Bible, one book per Sunday, as a sort-of overview. He started what he calls his "Route 66 Series" in January of 2006. As the weeks have gone by, he and I have both been quite amazed at what we've learned of the Word.
Well, one of the over-arching themes of 2nd Corinthians is suffering.
Then, as I was scanning some of my favorite blogs, one of them had a link to a brief biography of David Brainerd. There it was... suffering again of one called to minister.
Then I clicked on the brief biography of Charles Simeon Simeon was the pastor of Trinity Church, Cambridge, England, for 49 years. If you get a chance, read what this guy had to go through with his congregation! This is recommended reading for anyone who is in the ministry, in my opinion.
A small excerpt from the link:
The first thing the congregation did in rebellion against Simeon was to refuse to let him be the Sunday afternoon lecturer. This was in their charge. It was like a second Sunday service. For five years they assigned the lecture to Mr. Hammond. Then when he left, instead of turning it over to their pastor of five years they gave it to another independent man for seven more years! Finally, in 1794, Simeon was chosen lecturer. Imagine serving for 12 years a church who were so resistant to your leadership they would not let you preach Sunday evenings, but hired as assistant to keep you out.
Simeon tried to start a later Sunday evening service and many townspeople came. But the churchwardens locked the doors while the people stood waiting in the street. Once Simeon had the doors opened by a locksmith, but when it happened again he pulled back and dropped the service.
The second thing the church did was to lock the pew doors on Sunday mornings. The pewholders refused to come and refused to let others sit in their personal pews. Simeon set up seats in the aisles and nooks and corners at his own expense. But the churchwardens took them out and threw them in the churchyard. When he tried to visit from house to house, hardly a door would open to him. This situation lasted at least ten years. The records show that in 1792 Simeon got a legal decision that the pewholders could not lock their pews and stay away indefinitely. But he didn't use it. He let his steady, relentless ministry of the word and prayer and community witness gradually overcome the resistance.
WOW.
As I reflected on the lives of these two preachers, I was struck by the selfishness of my own thoughts, and how light my affliction was, not only when compared to what these men endured, but also, and more importantly, in light of eternity.
If someone asks me today, "How are you?" I must truthfully answer "Much better than I deserve."
Praise be to God for His immeasurable grace!
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