Prov 14:4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.(KJV)
I preached a sermon on this at our church a little less than a year ago, taking a different angle than many would have. I preached it from the perspective of "church". I speak with countless pastors who unfortunately lament to me "pastoring would be great if it didn't involve working with people". While I certainly do understand the cry behind such a statement, it also indicates a problem with our thinking. I would be lying to you if I said that being a pastor at times didn't "get on my nerves". Not because I don't care about people, but because people frequently ignore biblical counsel in favor of their own solutions to life's problems. To be completely fair, some pastors (yes even me!) have difficulty implementing their own biblical strategies to the complexities of life.
Many imagine and fantasize about a "clean crib" (any reference to the modern term "crib" for a person's residence is purely coincidental here...). There are many parents who can't wait for an "empty nest". Perhaps there are pastors like the anonymous friends above who dream of having a trouble-free congregation of one family (the pastor's own family that is...). The only problem with that line of thinking, is that there is "much increase by the strength of the ox". Yes, children can be loud, rude, messy, obnoxious, selfish, insensitive, ....ok you get the picture. But they are also a wonderful delight. For every mom or dad who counts down the days to an empty nest, there are two more who wish their kids would come running to the door to greet them when they get home from work.
True, ministry (and in particular pastoring) can be difficult at times due to personality conflicts. But much can be accomplished when the saints of God gather together and unite for common goals. God created us for community. One of the first recorded words we have from God in Genesis concern man's need for companionship and help. Yes, if there is an ox in the crib....you can count on the floor getting messy! I don't think many live with the impression that there is the "perfect" church- postmodern thinking has pretty much destroyed this mythical entity. But still people are surprised that church and ministry can be messy at times. Leaders lock horns over issues, congregations are divided about the direction that leadership is taking. But at the end of the day, we need one another.
Your ability to lead is not measured in terms of getting everyone to agree with you or to fit into some type of paradigm that you have adopted. But real strength of character and leadership is displayed when you can influence others even when they may have some disagreements with your methodology. Real leaders are able to make the most out of a bad situation and earn the respect of those who disagree with them. I didn't intend for this post to be about leadership per se, but perhaps that's the direction that God wanted to take it.
Have a great weekend!
-H2
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