Stay Faithful. Be Patient. Don’t Be Hurt.

This title is the exact wording I felt God usher into my heart immediately upon reflecting over a message by Craig Groeschel called, The Strongest Link. It is a personal message, but one worthy of sharing.

In this connecting-the-generations message, where the older generation were encouraged, “if you’re not dead, you’re not done,” and to sow into delegating authorities to empower and equip younger leaders, and younger leaders were encouraged to not feel so “entitled”—as the younger generation tends to feel—and honour those of the older generation, I was inspired to recognise that I fit between these two groups—in a season of ambassadorship. Soon enough it will be my turn to hand over authorities. But in the now, people of my mid-aged generation can connect the younger generation to the older generation and vice versa.

But I am getting distracted. The three phrases above meant so much as God shared his Spirit’s anointing for my life.

Whatever We Do We Aim To Stay Faithful

Even though God may be calling us away from our present place and into a new reality of Kingdom service, our responsibility is to stay faithful in the meantime.

Faithfulness is the ability to apply our faith in such a way as to remain on track with what we are already doing. For many of us this is a hard enough call; we may despise our day jobs.

Not forgetting that God has called us, to join his work that is already in progress, and has been from time immemorial, our key role is to remain faithful.

At Times Of Slow Progress, and Always, Be Patient

Notwithstanding the need to be faithful, we all struggle with impatience—though some more than others. God may deliberately take us into a slow time to test our patience, to grow our characters, and to refine our virtue, in preparation for the bigger tasks ahead.

Patience is one thing we can never have too much of. Particularly when things are discernibly slower, we have the opportunity to be curious in our frustration. Curiosity will heal frustration every time. Curiosity will replace anger with the sense for wonder.

Don’t Fall for Being Hurt

In a relational world there is always potential to be hurt; to feel hurt, especially by perceptions of conflict, ambivalence and rejection. We can feel rejected, engage in conflict, and have to deal with ambivalence just as much in the church as anywhere.

Adding to the relational dynamics, some of which we cannot control, are the frustrations that come emergent from within us. If we or the other person is the slightest bit ‘off’ there will be conflict, including the content of hurt.

Our task as new creations under Christ is too firmly resist feeling hurt, to forgive, and to rally hard—in peaceable ways—for reconciliation.

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When we are faithful regarding what we’re already doing, patient in enduring tough seasons, and we resist temptations to become resentfully hurt, we please God by our faith.

© 2012 S. J. Wickham.