Climbing the Mountains in Ministry

I was talking on the phone with a fellow pastor a couple of days ago when he remarked that sometimes the ministry that needs to be done seems like an insurmountable mountain. His comment made me think back to when I was in high school running cross country. We were coached on how to approach and run the hills we encountered in the race. We were coached to look at the pavement right in front of us rather than stare at the top of the hill. When we stared at the pavement in front of us we were able to see the race as it really is ... one step at a time. When we stared at the top of the hill we would become discouraged and be likely to give up and start walking.

Bottom Line ... climbing the hills required that we take it one step at a time.

The same can be said about climbing the mountains in ministry. For certain there are tasks and situations that seem to big to handle. But maybe we were never meant to tackle the whole mountain in one stride. The apostle Paul described the Christian life as a race on several occasions. Pastors and other Christian leaders would do well to take each mountain in ministry one step at a time to make sure we keep moving in the right direction.

When we try to conquer the mountains in ministry in one stride ...

• We may miss the growing and developing that God had for us along the way.
• We may cause the people we are leading to miss the growing and developing that God had for them as well.

Psalm 119:105 declares, "Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." A lamp does not light up the entire field; rather, only the ground right around our feet. Why? So we can see where to take the next step. So, the next time you are faced with a steep mountain in ministry, remember to take it one step at a time as you walk in obedience to God's Word.