The Discipline of Durability

After fifty years of full-time ministry, Thomas Skoog continued strong. His dear wife Dorothy—his love of nearly five decades—passed away. His life changed, yet his ministry adapted and flourished. His home was now empty—he found a way to fill it. He took on free boarders—young men, college age, looking for their place in life. He became their mentor—investing in their lives. He helped them find their place in the kingdom—many are pastors today.

He continued his ministry in prisons. There he was loved by many as well. Over the next ten years of his life, thousands of salvations occurred through his ministry in the prisons. Finally at over eighty years of age, God took him home. He is now with Dorothy. Together they celebrate their trophies of life.

He will always be an example for me to never stop doing what I can to bless lives for the Kingdom. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 3:5, “May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.” This was the secret of Thomas Skoog’s life—he was durable. He persevered. The more he lived, the more he loved God, and the more through Christ he was willing to persevere doing God’s work.

Was Thomas Skoog’s life easy? Not at all. It was full of adversity—yet God walked him through it. Does God expect us to go through adversity? The answer is yes. Joseph was sold as a slave and put into prison for a crime he had not committed—all to place him in the exact position to fulfill God’s plan for his life. Not only did he fulfill God’s role for his life, he exemplified true forgiveness to his brothers who had wronged him. Like with Joseph, God intends to walk us through our difficulties rather than help us run away from them.

More than one children’s leader or children’s pastor has left his place of ministry due to difficult circumstances and difficult people only to find himself in a new place of ministry complete with similar situations. This type of individual can find himself moving from place to place, never getting past the difficult situations each place contains.

Conflict can occur through any number of avenues, including workers, parents, associates, and more. The discipline of durability is the ability to learn to work through conflict. Often, it is in working through conflict that one learns to avoid conflict in the future. Usually conflict is a two-way street. Each individual has personality traits that may rub others the wrong way. Often these personality conflicts may be at the center of conflict. When conflict escalates to the point that a leader leaves, no resolution ever takes place. That leader moves to a new location still angry and bitter. Often the same pattern continues in future locations.

The discipline of durability is the ability to tough it out when things get difficult. It is vital to learn what causes conflict and learn to find resolution in the midst of conflict. Sometimes asking for forgiveness is necessary. Sometimes compromises are necessary. Sometimes it is your pride that must be released. But working through conflict is key to long-term growth and success. Many conflicts can be avoided by building better relationships from the start. Others can be avoided by recognizing the early warning signs and taking action to settle things before they get out of hand.

Durability can also be gained by turning to God and His Word during times of difficulty. Thom Rainer in his book Breakout Churches gives encouragement by saying, “If I could make one recommendation to hurting and struggling leaders, it would be to immerse themselves in the stories of great faith in the church. Read Paul’s letters and his missionary journeys in the book of Acts. Read historical accounts of Christian men and women who believed that God had better days for them in the midst of some of the most troubling and painful times.” Remembering that great men and women of God have gone through difficulty can provide us with the courage to continue.

One couple I’ve spoke with this week who have been looking for a position in children’s ministry have been devastated after having five positions in a row fall through. In each of these cases it looked pretty sure that the church would hire them. In each case there were interviews over the phone, then trips to visit the churches, and meetings with the board, yet for some reason each position fell through. The couple had been called to overseas missions work; however those positions require tenure in churches here in America before they open up. Finally, however, a new corner turned. God has opened up a unique position for them to immediately go overseas and serve. What a miracle. Now they see God’s hand in each of these previous opportunities. They learned a lot. They learned to trust God. They learned to be durable.

Durability is an attitude of the heart. Leaders must learn to forgive if they have been hurt. They must learn to trust God if they have been disappointed. They have to learn to continue if things don’t seem to go their way. Hurts that settle in one’s heart breed bitterness. Bitterness left unchecked serves as a landmine waiting to be uncovered. The art of forgiveness is a key to durability. Letting go of hurts and injustices allows God the chance to heal. It also allows future relationships to improve. Leaders who learn to be durable have the chance to succeed in long-term ministry positions. This durability is an armor that protects and fortifies. Decide to trust God. Decide to be durable. Now go, make a difference.