I'm not an avid swimmer, but I learned some valuable lessons this week when Diana Nyad completed a 53-hour swim from Marina Hemingway in Cuba to Key West, Florida.  Now 64 years old, this was her fifth attempt. We would all do well to listen carefully to three important messages that Ms. Nyad shared with reporters as she stood on the beach in Key West, Florida.  Though she was admittedly "a bit out of it," these three messages came through loud and clear in spite of her swollen lips and swollen tongue: 

  1. We should never ever give up.
  2. You are never too old to chase your dreams
  3. It looks like a solitary sport but it takes a team.

Instinctively, I found myself applying these valuable life lessons to pastoral ministry. Never give up.  Our assignment is not an easy one, but like the apostle Paul, we can make this confession: "I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:13-14, NIV).  My fellow pastor, press on with the strength that God provides.  Whether you are just starting your ministry, or near the end of your journey, never give up.

Ms. Nyad also reminds each one of us that whether you are 28 or 64, you are never too old to chase your dreams.  Consider the amazing contributions of John R. W. Stott even after his official "retirement" from All Souls Church in 1991.  He once told me in a personal interview: "I will serve the Lord as long as He gives me strength."  And he did so—faithfully, past his second retirement from public ministry 16 years later in April, 2007, at the age of 86, and thereafter in his retirement home at St. Barnabas College.  You are never too old, or too young, to chase your dreams. 

We would also do well to remember, like Ms. Nyad, that it takes a team to complete your mission.  A 35-member team supported her each mile of her 112-mile epic journey.  As pastors, we cannot complete our assignment alone.  Pastoral ministry is not a solitary pursuit.  Our mission is only accomplished as the team works together selflessly to achieve a common goal.  We are called out, called together, to serve in a way that is absolutely impossible if we tried to serve alone.

Thank you, Ms. Nyad, for teaching us all some valuable life lessons—and congratulations to you and to your team!

http://abcnews.go.com/US/diana-nyad-arrives-key-west-sets-record-cuba/story?id=20133986