Heart & Soul
Ben Patterson
October 1, 1994
Don't take it personally." He was near retirement, a seasoned and distinguished veteran who was about to back off a bit from the sweat and muck of active ministry. He had also been my first boss, a dear friend, and mentor. I had asked him a question: What wisdom do you have to give to those of us who are still in the thick of it? Specifically, how can we persevere to the end, fight the good fight, and finish the race?
"Don't take it personally," was his answer. "We're in a war. When a soldier gets shot at, he doesn't get his feelings hurt. He isn't plagued by self-doubt. He doesn't wonder if this is the kind of work he is cut out for. He doesn't peer over the edge of his foxhole and shout back, 'Was it something I said?' Getting shot at just goes with the territory. Don't take it personally."
St. Paul would agree. He says the work of the ministry is a spiritual struggle, but no less lethal for being spiritual. It requires that we put on a kind of armor and therefore assume a certain realism about life. We will be attacked. If not, then what's the armor for?
In another place, changing the metaphor, Paul says he is in the pangs of childbirth until Christ be formed in his people (Gal. 4:19). Mothers may not like the pangs of childbirth, but I've yet to meet one whose self-esteem was wounded because of them.
Grow up--that's what my friend was saying. Be realistic. Your enemies are many: the world, the flesh, the Devil, and sometimes even Mother Church, in a sense. She doesn't always soothe and serve milk and chocolate-chip cookies. She can be touchy and demanding. Once one realizes that, her occasional snits and tantrums become a lot less hard to take. It's burden enough to serve Christ and his now less-than-perfect bride. Don't ...
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