Most preachers I know, if we are honest, have wondered if the work we are doing is worth the cost and sacrifices that we make. Is it worth exposing our family to living in a fishbowl? Is it worth the hours spent in study, counseling, meeting, planning, praying, answering correspondence, and visiting, even while having your work ethic questioned by people who don’t get it? Is it worth being criticized by “well-meaning” people because of a misspoken word, misquoted scripture, forgetting to make a visit or a thousand other things? We wonder if it’s worth it when there are no visible responses to the preaching of the Word. We wonder if it’s worth it when we work long hours late into the night, sometimes taking time away from the people we love. Is it worth it?
Occasionally, there are gifts that come our way to remind us that it’s worth it. I’m not talking about monetary or physical gifts (even though there’s nothing wrong with that from time to time)! I’m talking about the young child who draws a picture of you standing in the pulpit proclaiming the word, and the child hands it to you and tells you that you are their favorite preacher. I’m talking about when someone says, “I’ve read that passage hundreds of times in my life, and I’ve never thought about it the way you presented it today, and I want to say thank you.” I’m talking about when you’re preaching, and you see in the eyes of someone listening that they “get it” for the first time. Or that couple who comes to you and says thank you for saving our marriage by taking the time to listen to us when we were struggling. Or that phone call from the man who says, “You may not remember this, but you baptized me ten years ago today, and I wanted you to be the first to know that the church has asked me to be a deacon!” You know, and you can add to the list of reasons why preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ is well worth it!
