"Have some guts, kid; this is ministry."
Gable Price and Friends, from the song, I Need You
The song from which I took the lyric above popped up on my YouTube feed one day a few months ago.
That message came during a period of being frustrated with the challenges of my role and hit hard.
Have some guts, kid; this is ministry.
It reminded me of the sage advice from the Book of Sirach, and given to me by a second-year ACE teacher during my tenure as a principal:
"My child, when you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials. Be sincere of heart and steadfast, and do not be impetuous in time of adversity" (Sirach 2:1-2).
In other words, "Have some guts, kid; this is ministry."
Jesus Christ exhorts those brave enough to be His disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it" (Matthew 16:24-25).
Once again, "Have some guts, kid; this is ministry."
St. Paul, the Apostle of Christ, wrote the following as a way to encourage the Church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 11:23-28):
Are they ministers of Christ? (I am talking like an insane person.) l I am still more, with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, far worse beatings, and numerous brushes with death. Five times at the hands of the Jews I received forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I passed a night and a day on the deep; on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own race, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, through hunger and thirst, through frequent fastings, through cold and exposure. And apart from these things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.
In the Letter of James, the author instructs us to "Consider it all joy, when you encounter various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance" (James 1:2-3).
Have some guts, kids; this is ministry!
As we look ahead to the beginning of the school year, may the Holy Spirit renew and strengthen our spirits so that we can take up our crosses, endure the many and various trials we will encounter, and consider it all joy.
Let's have some guts, kids.
After all, this is ministry.
