Scoutmaster Longevity

Behold, there went out a sower to sow: And it came to pass, as he sowed, some fell by the way side, and the fowls of the air came and devoured it up. And some fell on stony ground, where it had not much earth; and immediately it sprang up, because it had no depth of earth: But when the sun was up, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up, and choked it, and it yielded no fruit. And other fell on good ground, and did yield fruit that sprang up and increased; and brought forth, some thirty, and some sixty, and some a hundred. And he said unto them, He that has ears to hear, let him hear. The Gospel of Mark New Scoutmasters tend to throw themselves into their position with great energy. One or two years later they will , more or less, find themselves in one of the four scenarios in the parable above. The decisive factors are subtle. Some are enthusiasts and run a bit hot and cold.

Their commitment may be strong but may wane when challenges mount. Some are dilettantes; the position of authority and stature may look appealing but the work to maintain it may be beyond their capacity. Some are overly sensitive to criticism. It may cause them anger, sadness, hopelessness, or all three. Some are even tempered and handle the demands and challenges adroitly.

I expect each of us is some combination of each of these types. Life is more complex than the best parable resists easy categorization. Any endeavor is liable to be a mixture of success and failure, satisfaction and frustration. Most of us will not be an unmitigated success nor a complete failure.