Is waxing a hairy back worth it?

I had a good friend that waxed his back as a joke. This was a very hairy man, I won’t give his exact name we will just call him Jay. Jay got a wax kit and had different people rip the paper after being waxed. It looked like one of the most painful experiences of his life. I saw the youtube video on this and it looked truly painful. It wasn’t quick work. It was brutal and took a while. I couldn’t imagine doing that even if I did have a hairy back. In between me laughing because it was funny and feeling bad for the pain it brought a question up. Is this worth it?

Life is full of tough decisions. Often at times it can feel like we aren’t qualified to make the decision. There is not an easy button in life. You can’t take the easy way out. A lot of what we accomplish takes hard work. Paul wrote a letter about a rough situation the church in Corinth was going through.

1 Corinthians 2:4…

For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.

Paul started the church in Corinth. It wasn’t easy and he made a couple of visits to the church. Yet one time he said he would visit the church and didn’t people jumped on his case. They started to turn their backs on Paul and were listening to people that had false teachings. So Paul answers them in this section of scripture. He answered their questions and conflicts and ends it with this verse above. Paul didn’t take this lightly. He truly loved the church and cared for them beyond words on paper. Sometimes what we go through is tough love.

What tough decisions did you have to make? How did people respond to those tough decisions, Paul had to make tough decisions but in the end wanted them to know it was out of love. Paul had a deep love for this body of believers.

What do you do out of love? Was it easy or painful? Just like waxing a hairy back might be extremely painful, you can end up silky smooth in the end. Is it worth it? Is what we do out of love?

Have a great day.

Weary

Exhaustion can claim us all.

This has been a great summer but throughout it there have been times when I have been exhausted mentally and physically.
I dealt with some health issues at the beginning of the summer and some other things that just left me completely exhausted.
As a minister, you can’t go to people about your problems.
You might be able to say, yeah I am struggling, but few people know what you go through.
I have about four people I can go to about my problems and struggles.
Ministry can be a very dark and cold place at times.
I have seen some great ministers that have either lost their jobs or moved away for certain reasons this summer and it take a toll on you.
My heart and prayers goes out to them and it makes me think how hard it can be at times.
I recently had a friend who went to a wedding at a church he used to serve at.
He went back to a church that basically fired him without any particular reason two weeks after he told them they were pregnant with their second child.
I asked him how it went and he told me that he got the coldest shoulder from the minister of that church. 
Life can be interesting at times.
There are times we are all exhausted and spent.
I am reading through Acts 21 through a section where Paul is at the end of his mission trip/life.
While at the end of this trip he shares with them, encourages them, warns them, and sheds tears with them and for them.
He shares with them it’s better to give then to receive and ends with verses 37-38 after praying…
“They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him.  What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again.  Then they accompanied him to the ship.”
Paul shared his heart with the people and on this journey they knew it was the last time they would see him again.
When we grow weary and sad, it can affect our actions.
Through it all, Paul went out on a good note with the people.
How do we want to be remembered?
Paul went through it all: health issues, sad, knowing he was going where he was called and it was a tailspin of emotion as he served God with all of his abilities.
As we grow weary, how do you want to be remembered?
What mark do you want to leave on this world?
Paul is a great reminder to me of working through it all to further the kingdom.
I love reading Paul for this reason.
Even when we are exhausted , there is still light at the end of the tunnel.
There is always something to look forward to in life.
Never forget that.
Have a great day.