Larry Osborne: "The best advice I’ve ever received was that I had nothing to prove and no one to impress."
Q: What’s the best soul-care advice you’ve ever received?
A: The best advice I’ve ever received was that I had nothing to prove and no one to impress. My mentor used to pound that into my head every chance he got.
Like many a pastor, ministry was not only a way to serve Jesus, but also a way to prove something to myself and others about my faith, my value as a person and a host of other things that had already been validated by Jesus at the cross.
I remember wondering if I’d ever get to the point where his words would be more than just a cliché. But with each step in that direction (taking that thought from a truth in my head to a conviction in my heart),
I’ve found an ever-increasing joy and freedom in ministry. It puts the criticisms and praise of ministry in proper perspective.
It allows me to do something that lots of pastors never learn to do: Do my best, then take a nap, knowing that Jesus is good with it and with me.
