Rest if you must, but don't you quit!
Bree Blum
"When things go wrong, as they sometimes will, when the road you're trudging seems all uphill, when the funds are low, but the debts are high, and you want to smile, but you have to sigh, when care is pressing you down a bit, rest if you must, but don't you quit."
EDGAR A. GUEST
Sixteen years ago, I served as the Program Director at the church camp I grew up attending—and lived on the same grounds where I gave my life to Christ as a sixteen-year-old. At the time, I lived with two of my former co-counselors, the sweetest and most loyal pup, and a cat that made me a dog lover. Since our positions at the camp were only paid through housing and utilities, I also worked as a substitute teacher to make ends meet.
Needless to say, I wasn't rolling in the dough. My church back home took up monthly collections to help me offset costs, and my roommates and I humbly enrolled in food stamps after the first month of living together, realizing our measly wages weren't enough to keep food on the table. Our big treats of the week were Friday nights at the local Pizza Hut, where we'd play countless games of Farkle, and the wait staff would join in as the evening wore on. We'd then go to Walmart to walk around before returning home to camp.
It wasn't glamorous by any means, but I learned volumes about what ministry was and was not.
"Life is queer with its twists and turns. As every one of us sometimes learns. And many a fellow turns about when he might have won had he stuck it out. Don't give up, though the pace seems slow - you may succeed with another blow.
EDGAR A. GUEST
During those long days working in the school system and nights developing camp curricula, I often wondered if I had chosen the right career path.
But it was also during one day while working in a challenging long-term sub position that my co-teacher chose to end her lesson early and instead had our students write some of their favorite things about me being their "temp teacher." The next day, before the students filed in from the playground, she handed me a manilla envelope filled with their words and a small plaque with Edgar A. Guest's poem.
Though the manilla envelope and its contents are tucked away, the plaque sits on my desk in the Intentional Filling office with its ready reminder.
"Often the goal is nearer than it seems to a faint and faltering man; Often the struggler has given up when he might have captured the victor's cup; and he learned too late when the night came down how close he was to the golden crown."
EDGAR A. GUEST
There have been many days in the last many months that I've felt the familiar pang of wondering if I had chosen the right path.
But as the plaque (and God) have reminded me—"rest if you must, but don't you quit."
I have seen God's faithfulness through the last ten years of ministry for Intentional Filling, and I know that His hand is still on this ministry. However, I also sense changes to come.
I sense God calling me into a season of rest and renewal—to seek His direction and ensure that Intentional Filling continues to serve you well in the way He desires. This does NOT mean our online Biblical studies or membership benefits will change; those will continue as planned. However, the day-to-day content may not be as frequent (or fresh) as it has been in the past. Instead, you may see us recycling some of our tried and true content.
"Success is failure turned inside out - the silver tint of the clouds of doubt, and when you never can tell how close you are, it may be near when it seems afar; so stick to the fight when you're hardest hit - it's when things seem worst, you must not quit."
EDGAR A. GUEST
I ask for your grace and your prayers as I honor God's command to find rest in Him. This pause is NOT a step away but a step closer to Him so I can pour out from a place of clarity, strength, and renewed vision. Use this as an invitation to do the same.
I look forward to sharing updates, as I can't wait to see what God has in store for our IF community!
All the love and virtual hugs,