Encouragement For The BrokenheartedSample

When we first moved to Las Vegas, I immediately made a connection with a new friend. I mean the throw-my-baby-shower and have-lunch-at-my-house-once-a-week kind of friend. It was great. Then our church grew and changed. New people sat in the seats, and a new core started to emerge. For people who had been around a long time and deeply loved the church, it was difficult to see it morph into something they didn’t necessarily recognize. I’ll never forget the day I received a letter from my friend. It was two pages of pain. Each line felt like a new punch to the stomach. Outlined in great detail were all the reasons she and her family were leaving the church, most unfortunately based on untrue gossip. Seriously?! Not a meeting to talk about concerns? Not an inquiry into what was really going on? Nope. I just received this gross letter. My emotions ranged from raw woundedness to absolute fury, vacillating back and forth for days. One night while I was standing at the sink washing a mound of dirty dishes, the hurt was welling up, and my heart was broken. When suddenly Galatians 1:15 came to mind: “But even before I was born, God chose me and called me by His marvelous grace.” I tossed a handful of forks into the sink and said out loud, “They can say whatever they are going to say. But they cannot take our calling, and they can’t have the joy that we find in it!” Don’t let critics take your calling. It’s been said that many people leave ministry because of a handful of critical people. Don’t let someone steal the calling that Almighty God has placed on your life. They cannot have it. Cling tightly to the mission and leadership God has given you. Don’t let critics steal the joy from ministry. Sure, ministry is tough. It would be easy to come up with a list of the tough stuff. But there are so many things that are wonderful. There is so much to celebrate, enjoy and love. Don’t let the negative challenges of life and leadership overshadow the great things God is doing. Don’t let them steal your joy. God has put you in this place and in this moment. He will not leave you alone. As you cling to the calling He has on your life, He will not abandon you. By Lori Wilhite