Defending the Bean Patch by Lisa Burkhardt Worley
“Am I making a difference in the world?”
It’s a question we ask ourselves during our lives.
I pondered this same question while attending the National Religious Broadcasters Convention where some of the greatest Christian pastoral and media influencers gathered for one week. It’s easy to fall into the comparison game, and up against large ministries and shows on CBN and TBN, our ministry, Pearls of Promise, and our media outreach, POP Talk, can look like a small dot on the map.
So prior to the annual Bott Radio Network breakfast on Friday morning, I was feeling discouraged. Our radio show is not on major radio networks because we do not have the budget for that kind of exposure, and I was wondering if what we are doing is worth all the effort. Yes, I was having a full-blown pity party as I ate my scrambled eggs and muffin.
However, this sour attitude reversed after Cornerstone Chapel Pastor, Gary Hamrick, shared a keynote message based on 2 Samuel 23:11–12. The passage says: “Next in rank was Shammah son of Agee from Harar. One time the Philistines gathered at Lehi and attacked the Israelites in a field full of lentils. The Israelite army fled, but Shammah held his ground in the middle of the field and beat back the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.”
Shammah received two lines in the Bible because he defended a little bean patch! Hamrick said we should all defend our bean patches, because if we don’t, the enemy will take the surrounding land, the mountain and then the country. In other words, we must do our part, no matter how large or small our territory—because it all counts.
Pearls of Promise and POP Talk is our bean patch, so I was recharged to keep plugging away and to be grateful for the growth we have had, as well as our 20+ television and radio platforms.
What about you? What is your bean patch? Never underestimate the influence you possess—no matter where God has placed you. If you are experiencing some success, the enemy of your soul will try to make you think you are ineffective so you will quit. Don’t do it! Defend your bean patch because you are making a difference.