“The Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life 

even more than he had blessed the first.”

Pastor, unfortunately, you’ll face lots of pain in ministry. You’ll be unfairly criticized. You’ll lose key leaders for reasons you don’t quite understand. You may even be let go from a ministry assignment in a particularly painful manner.

Pastor, you need to mourn when that pain comes. But that’s not an excuse to become bitter. 

There is a difference between mourning and moaning, between weeping and wallowing. A loss can deepen you, but that doesn’t mean it can define you. A loss is a part of your maturity but not your identity.

Just ask Job!

“[Job’s] wife said to him, ‘Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.’ But Job replied, ‘You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?’ So in all this, Job said nothing wrong” (Job 2:9-10 NLT).

Job refused to become bitter and resentful. Bitterness prolongs pain. It doesn’t relieve it; it only reinforces it. “Watch out that no bitterness takes root among you . . . it causes deep trouble, hurting many in their spiritual lives” (Hebrews 12:15 TLB).

1. Put your heart right. That means you forgive. Only Jesus can give you that power.

2. Reach out to God. Ask him to heal those wounds and give you strength and power for tomorrow, next week, and next month.

3. Face the world again, being firm and courageous. Many leaders withdraw into a shell when they’re hurt. They say, “I’ll never let anybody hurt me again!” You can’t minister effectively like that. Job says to do the exact opposite: Resume your life; don’t retire from it. Get back out there in the world.

There’s a happy ending to Job’s life. “The Lord blessed the last part of Job’s life even more than he had blessed the first” (Job 42:12 GNT). Job went through all this hurt, but in spite of that, God blessed the last part of Job’s life even more than the first.

Wouldn’t you like the same in your ministry? Whether you have five years left—or 50—your best days can be ahead of you.

The lesson of Job’s life is this: It doesn’t matter who’s hurt you or how long you’ve been hurt or how deeply you’ve been hurt. God can make the rest of your life the best of your life if you’re willing to forgive, let go of resentment, and release the offender.