But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. (2 Tim. 4:5)
My husband’s uncle worked construction in his twenties and developed a long-term back injury. At the end of college, before we were engaged, my boyfriend asked whether I would help his uncle move. The two of us were the only ones who showed up, and it was a long, hot day of carrying couches and bookshelves and boxes to a moving truck.
A year later, after we were married, my husband told me that day was when he decided to propose to me. It seemed like a strange moment, so I asked why.
“The most important things in a marriage,” he said, “are compassion and a willingness to show up and do hard work.”
As Paul explained to Timothy and Titus what it took to lead a Christian life—to be a good preacher of the gospel—he offered similarly practical advice. “You need to be willing to embrace complexity, to be a student of the word,” he said. “And you need to show up and do hard work.”
The book of 2 Timothy admonishes us to keep our heads—not to worry about the temporary hardships, but rather to keep working with the eternal significance of our evangelism in mind. This is easier said than done and, like marriage, Christian life requires a daily commitment.
Every morning, verbally recommit to the work of a Christian.
Lindsey Priest is an Indiana Wesleyan University graduate and lives in Arkansas with her husband and two sons. She likes to read to the kids, play video games with her husband, and refurbish furniture.
© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
