When I tell people that my job involves helping widows and refugees and the poor, some of them respond, “Oh, that must be very rewarding!” I think this reveals a misunderstanding about the motivation for merciful deeds. Their response carries an implicit assumption that I must be in ministry because of the ways I benefit from it. Why else would I do something so challenging that pays so little? (I do, of course, like my work and it is frequently rewarding. But my income was the same eighteen … [Continue reading...]
