Lace Up Your Boots and Get Back to Work

A good friend sent an encouraging note this week about our ministry. After writing some very kind words, he added this piece of advice:

"Ray.... just keep putting your shoes on everyday and go to work.”

None of us knows the real impact we have on the lives of others. I tell pastors who struggle with discouragement, “You’re not in a good position to judge your own effectiveness.” If you think you’re hitting a home run, better let the Lord make the call. If you think you’ve just struck out, leave that call with him also. I imagine that in heaven we’ll discover that our greatest impact happened with people we didn’t even know about.

And between now and then? Just keep putting your shoes on every day and go to work. So I picture in my mind a pair of boots--working boots--because it reminds me that if I’ve had a bad day, fine, go to bed, sleep it off, get up tomorrow, lace up my boots and get back to work. 

And if I’ve had a great, incredible, red-letter day of victory upon victory, enjoy it, don’t dwell on it, go to bed, sleep it off, get up tomorrow, lace up my boots and get back to work.

That’s a wise rule to live by whether we’ve had a good day or a bad day. Either way, we’ve got lace up our boots and get back to work.

You can reach the author at ray@keepbelieving.com. Click here to sign up for the free weekly email sermon.