Archive for January 2021

In graduate school I developed a vision problem. After late nights of studying, I’d wake up in the morning unable to open my right eye. I’d lie in bed and rub gently, encouraging it to wake up too. A long day of classwork and reading lay ahead; I couldn’t do it without both eyes functioning properly.

When I could blink both eyes, I’d get up and go about my work with little thought to the problem—until the headaches set in toward the end of the day.

A call to the ministry is a call to the ministry of the Word. As such, we are called not only to proclaim it but also to defend it. The New Testament Epistles overflow with injunctions to guard the truth. Reflect on Paul’s words to Timothy—a mere sampling of the New Testament charges to defend the faith—and let their import for you and your call to ministry sink in:

It’s one of those play calls for Team Jesus that has challenged the best and most upright Pastor, Church Mother, and saint at one point or another. When we are hurt, damaged, or betrayed by someone, it’s not in our human nature to naturally forgive.

Forgiving others will rarely be as easy as breathing or blinking. It takes work and intentionality to begin – and end – the process of forgiveness.