I am a content creator and storyteller based in Florida, where I work for OneHope. I love digital and content marketing, writing, and the occasional doodle.
I have heard some lamenting over the past year when it comes to workers in the church. This cartoon I drew about volunteers and donuts in 2013 reminds me that volunteering has changed dramatically since the pandemic.
While some teenagers may still be as enthusiastic as the guy in the cartoon, it has been a challenge to recruit volunteers. This article from Christianity Today illustrates the challenges many churches are facing.
Physical exercise makes us stronger. When we run a distance, or lift weights, the resistance causes our muscles to strengthen. It prepares us for when we face a physical challenge and gives us strength under pressure.
“If you fail under pressure, your strength is too small.”
Proverbs 24:10 NLT
Mental and spiritual exercises do something similar. When we feed our mind and spirit, when we make ourselves do the hard work, it will help us when we face bigger challenges.
Does that mean we love exercise? Hardly! Self discipline can be difficult, especially when we have weak areas that we know needs to be strengthened. When we haven’t been exercising for a while, and we discover how weak we’ve become in such a short time, it’s humiliating and discouraging.
And when conditions aren’t optimal, it can be even harder. We may try to job, but the weather is nasty. Then there are the times we are exercising our minds, but we are tempted to turn on the TV and watch some mindless program. Maybe the kids are loud and demand our attention. Self discipline isn’t easy, is it?
But the long-term benefits far outweigh the short-term challenges. When we set a long-term goal, it helps us get over the short-term reluctance.
Few of us are in optimal shape physically, mentally and spiritually. We may be overwhelmed in one or multiple areas. It’s okay! Choose one aspect to focus on today. Start with small steps and know that we will improve in the long-term. Here are some suggestions to tory today.
Any of these could be useful when we face pressure. And who doesn’t eventually need strength under pressure?
Editor’s Note: I originally published this blog on October 6, 2015. I revamped and updated it for timeliness and comprehensiveness.
I remember when it was the generation or two before me that said, “Just wait until you’re my age!” Now that I am that age, I still wonder what they were talking about.
If life hands us lemons, we can get good at making lemonade. And if you start a lemonade stand, provide good customer service, right? That said, I have seen great customer service representatives take a trying situation and make the best of it. That can be tough when circumstances out of their control bring angry customers into their lives.
Are you tired of making the best of a situation? I suppose we can try what Stephen Lyons suggested in the Chicago Tribune and suck on some misery. But beware of taking satire as gospel truth! One thing he makes clear in his commentary is if we think things are bad now, we could always find ways to make things worse. Conversely, the opposite must be true: we can always find ways to improve our situation.
Asking for donations can be a tricky business. While there are many generous people, it isn’t hard to find someone who is reluctant to give for any cause. After all, you can’t squeeze blood from a turnip!
Where in the world, did, the phrase come from? When I did a search, it appears it’s one of those proverbs that came out of nowhere. I forgot that “you can’t get blood from a stone,” is a variation on this, I wouldn’t recommend trying to get blood from either one.