And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. Galatians 6:9
As a 'first responder' for approximately 15 years in Pennsylvania...I found the volunteer work both very engaging and gratifying. The joy of helping others... especially in an emergency situation... can be both exhilarating and exhausting. It was also a very disheartening job at times.
Throughout the years... there always seemed to be two kinds of volunteers... the dedicated and the impulsive. I say that because it makes an ample difference... when you are working with someone in a crisis situation... who is truly dedicated... and with one who has made a rash decision to serve. That choice to serve solely for the accolades or an adrenalin rush... does not make for the best of partners when on the scene of an emergency.
It is very difficult to work with an impulsive volunteer when you also have... very routine calls to a nursing home... or calls to 'repeat victims'. Nursing home calls were usually ones that were very mundane and ordinary. The calls for 'repeat victims' were usually for the lonely... the drunkards... and the homeless... and all they really needed was a meal... or a warm place to stay for a little while... and someone who cared... even if only for a short time. These calls were not exciting enough for some of our impulsive volunteers... very often they considered these calls unworthy of the knowledge that they possessed. This was a very sad... but true thread that ran through the world of emergency response teams.
I'm sure that when Paul wrote to the Galations... and expressed the fact that we must not grow weary in well doing... he understood the times of fatigue that encompassed some of our Christian ideals. I can't imagine what the daily travels on foot must have been like for Paul... not to mention dealing with "baby Christians" and the un-saved... yet he persevered in the work he was given. He did not give up... he did not quit... he kept going every chance he had... for the benefit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is where Paul kept his eyes fixed... on the cross and what Jesus had done for him. I say that because Paul had to face... trials... tribulations... beatings... shipwrecks... and we can't forget that thorn in his flesh... it might seem trivial... but Paul took the time to write about it. He set an example before us... that we should always strive for... keeping our eyes on Jesus!
Paul gives sound advice... and instructions for us to follow... in doing the work that God has given us to do. "Do not grow weary" in well doing... and amazingly...he tells us to "glory in our tribulations..." in Romans 5:3-5! So... am I relishing and taking delight in my trials??? I must say, "not as much as I should!"
We can not give up... we can not "sweat the small stuff" if we are working for the Lord... we must do it with all our heart and soul. Whether we are working side by side with those who are dedicated to God's work... or those who are impulsive and looking for praise and honor... I would encourage each of us to "press on"... keep going... and never quit... for in due season we shall reap... if we faint not!
As a 'first responder' for approximately 15 years in Pennsylvania...I found the volunteer work both very engaging and gratifying. The joy of helping others... especially in an emergency situation... can be both exhilarating and exhausting. It was also a very disheartening job at times.
Throughout the years... there always seemed to be two kinds of volunteers... the dedicated and the impulsive. I say that because it makes an ample difference... when you are working with someone in a crisis situation... who is truly dedicated... and with one who has made a rash decision to serve. That choice to serve solely for the accolades or an adrenalin rush... does not make for the best of partners when on the scene of an emergency.
It is very difficult to work with an impulsive volunteer when you also have... very routine calls to a nursing home... or calls to 'repeat victims'. Nursing home calls were usually ones that were very mundane and ordinary. The calls for 'repeat victims' were usually for the lonely... the drunkards... and the homeless... and all they really needed was a meal... or a warm place to stay for a little while... and someone who cared... even if only for a short time. These calls were not exciting enough for some of our impulsive volunteers... very often they considered these calls unworthy of the knowledge that they possessed. This was a very sad... but true thread that ran through the world of emergency response teams.
I'm sure that when Paul wrote to the Galations... and expressed the fact that we must not grow weary in well doing... he understood the times of fatigue that encompassed some of our Christian ideals. I can't imagine what the daily travels on foot must have been like for Paul... not to mention dealing with "baby Christians" and the un-saved... yet he persevered in the work he was given. He did not give up... he did not quit... he kept going every chance he had... for the benefit of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is where Paul kept his eyes fixed... on the cross and what Jesus had done for him. I say that because Paul had to face... trials... tribulations... beatings... shipwrecks... and we can't forget that thorn in his flesh... it might seem trivial... but Paul took the time to write about it. He set an example before us... that we should always strive for... keeping our eyes on Jesus!
Paul gives sound advice... and instructions for us to follow... in doing the work that God has given us to do. "Do not grow weary" in well doing... and amazingly...he tells us to "glory in our tribulations..." in Romans 5:3-5! So... am I relishing and taking delight in my trials??? I must say, "not as much as I should!"
We can not give up... we can not "sweat the small stuff" if we are working for the Lord... we must do it with all our heart and soul. Whether we are working side by side with those who are dedicated to God's work... or those who are impulsive and looking for praise and honor... I would encourage each of us to "press on"... keep going... and never quit... for in due season we shall reap... if we faint not!
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