Stories

“My mother used to say,” the 95-year old church matriarch began (a phrase which usually indicated surprising humor or deep wisdom would follow), “your sacrificing years are the best ones; so don’t complain!” Her eyes twinkled as she gazed into my sleep-deprived eyes of early parenthood. Then she winked and squeezed my hand, because we both knew that there was indeed a right and holy time for some complaining. Especially when lack of sleep is involved.

Still, her mother’s words have stayed with me. Time and again I’ve found that the most beautiful and best moments of life are often tangled up in the hardest and most painful ones.  

For many of us, this past pandemic year has been a doozy of a “sacrificing year.” We have been walking through a dark valley, stumbling upon hard moments in life and ministry. We shake with grief as we consider all we’ve lost, all we’ve endured.  

And yet…even in the darkest valleys, God nestles pretty meadows and peaceful waters. God weaves beauty into hardship like a master artisan. Into grief and hurt and despair, God weaves joy and kindness, laughter and hope, playfulness and rest, love upon love. So that the final masterpiece of our life, once completed, is a tapestry of grief and joy, sacrifice and abundance, despair and hope, all mingled together, telling a grand, powerful story of Divine Love.

So maybe it’s true after all, our sacrificing years can be our best years. And maybe we ought not complain…at least too much.

Read Psalm 23:1-4

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
   he leads me beside still waters; 
   he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
   for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the darkest valley, 
   I fear no evil;
   for you are with me;
   your rod and your staff—
   they comfort me.

Reflect: The Good Shepherd is leading you through your dark valley, providing refuge in green pastures along the way. There the Good Shepherd makes you lie down and be restored by the goodness in life. How has God comforted you in the dark valley lately? And with what beauty and goodness has God restored your soul?  

Take Action: Lie down in a green pasture. Literally. Rest for a while, complain to God a bit if it would help, and then give thanks for the miraculous ways God restores your soul, even in the darkest valley. 

In partnership,
Center for Leadership Excellence and the Commission on the Status and Role of Women

We are grateful to the Rev. Laura Johnson, Teaching Pastor at Apex UMC, for writing this month’s issue of Encouragements.

As spring is arriving and the earth is warming, it’s time for me to dust off my trusty bike and start to use a little peddle-power for exercise and entertainment. No one has ever looked at me and thought, there’s a cyclist. But I love riding my bike.

I also love watching cycling, especially the Tour de France. It is a grueling, three-week race that requires incredible endurance, but the most amazing part to me is the teamwork. Even though it is an individual sport, riders protect their own teammates. Teams work together by riding in a line, with each person taking a turn being in front and creating a draft or a “slipstream” to give their teammates an easier place to ride. If there is a breakaway, you will even see members of opposing teams working together to draft one another to maintain their breakaway. Some riders would never finish the race if it weren’t for their teammates.

Read Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Two are better than one because they have a good return for their hard work. If either should fall, one can pick up the other. But how miserable are those who fall and don’t have a companion to help them up!

Reflect: We are not meant to journey alone. Some days we are out front peddling hard and other days we rest in the slipstream of those ahead. Who are the people you can count on as your teammates in ministry? And how are you a teammate to others who are journeying alongside you?

Take Action: This month, reach out to your “teammates,” and find ways to create slipstreams for each other. We all have tough times, perhaps caused by the loss of a loved one, a breakup, job loss – or just life, especially life this past year. We all need to have those safe places, those safe people, where we can rest, even as we continue the journey.

In partnership,
Center for Leadership Excellence and the Commission on the Status and Role of Women

We are grateful to Gayle Tabor, lay speaker and preacher for St. Paul UMC’s Carolina Beach’s Church at the Boardwalk, for writing this month’s issue of Encouragements.

There can sometimes be a sense of feeling overwhelmed in ministry. The to-do list is very long, the emails pile up within a matter of hours, and other projects call for our immediate attention. Then there are the challenges of serving alongside others and the possibility of roadblocks at times, not to mention balancing family and personal needs. This is when friends in ministry can be invaluable. They listen, they pray, they can help problem solve, and they speak words of hope and peace into one’s hectic and demanding life.

Read Ecclesiastes 4:12 (The Message):

By yourself you’re unprotected.
With a friend you can face the worst.
Can you round up a third?
A three-stranded rope isn’t easily snapped.

Reflect: We could think of a rope or a piece of fabric here. The strands of thread in fabric are stronger, much stronger, when woven together. Their connectedness gives the cloth durability and beauty. A gorgeous tapestry comes to mind, one with vibrant colors and interesting patterns. Think of you and your friends in ministry forming this lovely, sturdy material that not only withstands the wear and tear of life, but also reflects the glory of God.

Take Action: What friend or friends has God given you to walk the path of ministry with? Who might you befriend this week and encourage in the Lord?

Take a moment to write a short note, make a phone call, or send an email or text to a ministry friend or someone new in your life. Say a prayer of thanks for this individual and ask God to bless her in her service.

In partnership,
Center for Leadership Excellence and the Commission on the Status and Role of Women

We are grateful to the Rev. Liz Hounshell, pastor of Zebulon UMC, for writing this month’s issue of Encouragements.