Ecclesiastes 7-12
I started pastoring at age 20—long before I was ready, I’m sure. A small country church in Ohio, though, believed this was God’s will, and they extended a call to me while I was still finishing my undergraduate degree. By the time I finished that degree, I had already pastored several years—and I seriously debated not doing any further education at seminary. That memory seems strange now, but I wrongly assumed then I had all the training I needed to pastor.
Looking back, it didn’t take me long to recognize that I needed more training. I could not have verbalized the problem then, but I realized that—as today’s reading in Ecclesiastes 10 describes it—my ax was dull. I could do the work of preaching and pastoring, but it was exhausting. I really didn’t have the sharpened tools I needed, so everything took more effort.
I am grateful that, at just the right time in my life, a friend challenged me to continue training. He had the God-given wisdom to know what to say to me and when to say it.
RESPONSE: Do what you need to do today to sharpen your ax.