{"id":56013,"date":"2011-11-21T14:07:00","date_gmt":"2011-11-21T20:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=56013"},"modified":"2022-11-21T14:12:56","modified_gmt":"2022-11-21T20:12:56","slug":"the-dreaded-task","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-dreaded-task\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dreaded Task"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\tby Richard Massey\n\n\n\n
\n

The\u00a0Dreaded Task<\/h3>\nMargaret E. Brown\nI found the task that I had dreaded so,
\nWas not so difficult when once begun;
\nIt was the dread itself that was the foe,
\nAnd dread once conquered means a victory won.\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\nHow true is the above statement. The first time brethren asked me to teach a Bible class (it was fifth and sixth graders), I recoiled — grimly dreading even the thought. I guess the elders were hard-pressed for teachers, so my arm was twisted until I finally relented. Once I got started, however, the task became such a joy that I did not want to stop. I even enjoyed decorating the classroom with my own homemade posters. I have been teaching ever since and enjoying every minute.\nIt is the “getting started” that seems to be the real hurdle. If we can get past that, the rest goes easier. Is there a hurdle between you and attendance at Bible class, or attendance on Sunday nights? Is there a hurdle for you in leading public prayer, or inviting your neighbor to church? There are precious benefits that accompany each victory we win over dread. One result is we become fruitful and stronger Christians. Dread makes us weak and unproductive.\nAre there important things that you should be doing, but because of dread, you have not accomplished them? Let me encourage you to get past the dread. Look to the Lord for strength (Ephesians 6:10-11; Philippians 4:13). Lean on your brethren for support (Galatians 6:2). Remember, it is “not so difficult when once begun.”\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Richard Massey The\u00a0Dreaded Task Margaret E. Brown I found the task that I had dreaded so, Was not so difficult when once begun; It was the dread itself that was the foe, And dread once conquered means a victory won. How true is the above statement. The first time brethren asked me to teach…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[451],"class_list":["post-56013","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-teaching"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":66898,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/let-this-cup-pass-from-me\/","url_meta":{"origin":56013,"position":0},"title":"Let this Cup Pass from Me","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 4, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton What did Jesus mean when He prayed three times in the Garden of Gethsemane to \"Let this cup pass from me?\" (Matthew 26:39). It is a metaphor for having to experience something very dreadful. When we experience something bitter and horrible to our senses, we could\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":44856,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-rebuking-a-sinner-once-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":56013,"position":1},"title":"Is rebuking a sinner once enough?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hi, I was reading your article\u00a0How do I tell someone they are sinning? and I wanted to ask a question concerning Galatians 6:1. When correcting another Christian about a sin, does one have to continue until they stop or try and leave the rest up to God? Answer: It\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":431,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/dreaded-words-mom-dad-im-pregnant\/","url_meta":{"origin":56013,"position":2},"title":"Dreaded Words: “Mom, Dad, I’m Pregnant”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"by David Tant via\u00a0Biblical Insights, Volume 9, Number 7, July 2009 There are certain words in the English language that we don't like to hear, in fact, we dread to hear them. Probably, the most dreaded words would come from the doctor's mouth to the family in the waiting room:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":68079,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-talking-to-people-about-the-gospel-once-a-week-enough\/","url_meta":{"origin":56013,"position":3},"title":"Is talking to people about the gospel once a week enough?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 15, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a question about sharing the Gospel Truth. Is it okay to make attempts to share the Gospel every Saturday, or am I to make attempts to share the Gospel daily? I did try to share the Gospel daily with strangers, but then I felt as though I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":28093,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-value-of-positive-peer-pressure\/","url_meta":{"origin":56013,"position":4},"title":"The Value of Positive “Peer Pressure”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Greg Gwin I wasn't ready to do it yet.\u00a0I really didn't want to get started at it.\u00a0But, my neighbor had already mowed his grass two times, and my yard was looking pretty shabby.\u00a0I figured if he mowed a third time before I mowed the first time, it would really\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Lawn-Mowing-300x255.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":94296,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/bridle-that-tongue\/","url_meta":{"origin":56013,"position":5},"title":"Bridle That Tongue!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 3, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Mike Johnson via Seeking Things Above Many are familiar with Jesus' teaching in Matthew 15:8-9, where He says we can make our religion vain by \"teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. However, there is another way we can make our religion vain, which people may not be as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/horses-tongue-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56013","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56013"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56013\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56013"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56013"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56013"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}