Ever Seen A Roper Honda?
Hondas existed in America long before the importing of Japanese cars. In fact, we had them before the invented automobiles. To an old-time cowboy, a honda was a knotted or spliced eyelet at the end of a rope and used to make or build a loop.
Sometimes it was a metal honda or ring. However, many a cattleman figured a metal one could gouge out an eye. It wouldn’t set as tight anyway. Most hondas tied into the rope itself, whether hemp or nylon. They sewed a piece of slick leather called a burner at the upper end of the loop. This way the rope wouldn’t easily wear through.
The Honda’s Purpose
This tiny loop allowed the main part of the rope to thread like a string through the eye of a needle. You needed to check the honda and burner on an old rope to determine how much it had been abused. No matter what the size of your catch, the pressure stayed on that honda.
Applied to the Church
Now, it seems to me that the pastoral staff of a church can be likened to the honda. In all that happens in spiritual ministry, the staff takes on the pressure of every program, outreach, service, organization, as well as relationships. Paul of the Bible described that tension.
“Besides everything else, I face the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin and I do not inwardly burn?” (2 Corinthians 11:28)
Every pastor knows exactly how Paul feels. That’s part of the responsibility, the calling. It’s a divine pressure no one can else can bear in the same way. But a church member can help relax the tension from time to time.
Three Things You Can Do
First, make sure your pastor can faithfully take time off during the week. Second, work to ensure your pastor adequate vacation breaks each year. Third, insist on a sufficient salary that will include a restful time away with family.
The pastor is the main honda of the church. In an active fellowship, the shepherd will be the first to show the wear and tear of a busy ministry.
Stephen Bly
Circa 1990
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“Roper Honda” AUDIO PODCAST by award-winning western author Stephen Bly. Sponsored by BlyBooks.com Legacy Series.
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