As I think about our ministry at the beginning of another year, I reflect on the old year and anticipate the new. Someone once said, “Hindsight is 20-20.” If this is true then we need to look at the past and figure out the things that were effective and the things that were a waste of time. The things that were effective should be the things that brought glory to God and the things that ministered to the people’s needs. In thinking about the things were a waste of time I remember one man’s concern about our ministry. Shortly after being commissioned as a missionary a person in leadership shared a concern that we don’t get so consumed with “sorting used clothes” to the point we loose sight of our ministry. I can’t think of anything I would consider a “good” distraction.
Ministers as well as missionaries often fall into this trap. We can get so consumed with the needs we forget the one who promised to supply our need. With our limited vision it is hard to prevent every distraction. Maybe this is the reason our hindsight is so clear. It is natural to make mistakes but it is foolish to make the same ones over and over. I have been in the ministry for more than fifty years. That may seem like an eternity to young folks but I’m still learning and making adjustments. Please bear with me as I “Press toward the mark.”
Bro. Garland Lacy