I have never loved temperatures in the 90s and above; but the older I get the less I want to experience them. Last summer, we had five days in the 90s. This year, the 90s started in early May, and we have had at least 34!
Right now, my road is being paved, or patched might be a better word. My husband spent a summer in college working on a paving crew. It was the job that he hated. The temperatures were nearly unbearable. So I was thinking about that today as I look out my windows occasionally. Most of the work is done by machine, but there is still one guy on the ground with a rake, tamper, or shovel. He is the one I watched. He was too far away to see if it was the same guy all day. Surely, it wasn’t! In my head, I know that those jobs get assigned to the newest guy. How do you get up in the morning to go to a job when the glorious sun is shining – 94 degrees today – and what temperature is it under your feet? When I went out for my mail several hours later, I didn’t want to step on the surface, because I could still feel the heat emanating from the road.
What does this have to do with ministry? Well, I was just wondering. Who are the people in ministry ‘hot spots’? Definitely, many missionaries, but what about counselors, interim pastors, caregivers to paraplegics, special needs children and older adults, the inner city street pastor – who comes to mind? Then, I must ask myself, do I leave them to sweat it out? Do I offer relief? Do I change places, if possible, for respite? Do I look the other way, or worse, not even see them at all? We are all in this life together. I am certain of my call for my life, specifically, but I am pretty sure that I should not be so busy with it, that I shouldn’t do some of the grunt work, get uncomfortable and ‘hot’ and help by offering some sort of relief. Spiritual relief is good, but many times, physical and emotional relief is needed more, so the soul can rest, renew, and be refreshed.
To God be the Glory. Helen
40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Matthew 25:34-43
What a great title! It’s not mine. Maureen Gallatin, a fellow horse-lover, referred to it on her blog.
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