I like gain, plain and simple. But pain? Well, that's different subject, yet I've chosen to embrace pain. It's a fact of lifeA few nights ago, on a cold, wintry Missouri night, my lovely bride and I were itching to get out of the house to see a movie. We ended up catching a Will Smith movie that's been out for several weeks.
After watching The Pursuit of Happyness (misspelling intentional), I'd have to say that it's a fabulous movie that every leader should watch. I was riveted by the tension of watching the main character sacrifice, think smart, act smart, keep his attitude in check, and refuse to give up. His pain threshold was extremely high, and that quality in particular actually made him a success.
The movie made me reflect on so much of the pain I've experienced in ministry that I tend to block out and forget. From my crazy internship days, through personal financial failure, down the road of serving on a staff where the senior pastor introduced moral and financial scandal to the church, to pastoring people who didn't like me and who told me about how wonderful it will be when I'm kicked out or die, it's been quite a painful journey. But, without the ability to endure that pain, I would have given up many years ago.
I was working out in the gym a couple of days ago and listening to leadership podcast by Leadership Network. As I was pushing through physical pain to complete my workout, I was surprised to hear the topic of the podcast.
Its title was, Growing as a Leader by Increasing Your Pain Threshold: An Interview with Sam Chand. If you're a senior leader, you really need to listen to it.
At first, I thought, "who is this guy and what does he know about pastoring and the pain of it all?" After a few minutes, I felt like this dude was reading my mind. Actually, this podcast helped me to make some sense of so much of my life and ministry regarding why I put up with pain. It was enlightening, informative and encouraging.
His words of wisdom really helped me to be willing to take on more pain, and, of course, to complete my workout.Here are my quick thoughts on pain in ministry:
- walk into the pain
- embrace the pain
- stand up under the pain
- don't give up when its too painful
- take breaks from the pain (this is called Sabbath)
- press past the pain into the pleasure of victory
- when the pain crushes you, cry, and let God know how you feel.
- be sure that unrestrained laughter accompanies your life. It will douse the pain.
You only get one chance in this life.
I'd rather have a painful life that makes a big splash for Jesus than a life that avoids pain, and never makes a wave.
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