Today has been a great day to work on my finally touches of the sermon for Sunday. As I took a short break this afternoon I went to my email and read a great article from
Church Leaders.com . Each day my "in box" is filled with information I can use. Here is an article with the link below for reference.
I’ve been a pastor for more than 20 years and even now there are days when I’m tempted to quit. To be
completely honest, I had one of those days recently.
I’ve often been asked how I’ve been able to stick with it
for so long. The short answer is I’ve been able to sustain by God’s grace.
The longer answer is made up of several phrases I
remember every time I feel like giving up. I’m going to share these phrases
with you knowing they may not initially make you “feel” better. Rather, my
prayer is they’ll encourage and empower you by helping adjust your thinking.
Romans 12:1 (NLT) says: “Don’t copy the behavior and
customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing
the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is
good and pleasing and perfect.”
Notice, the “pleasing and perfect” feelings that flow
from God’s will don’t come first. Rather, changed thinking comes first. In
other words, right feelings follow right thinking. So today, regardless of how
you feel, read the statements below.
Repeat them to yourself. Meditate on them. Pray God will
make them part of your thinking patterns. In time, they’ll help heal your hurts
and help you make it in ministry for the long term.
You’re Not Alone
Every pastor struggles. It’s part of the deal. Satan
wants to take every pastor out, so remember you’re not the only person out
there with a giant target on your back. If you need to vent, call a fellow
pastor and share your struggles together.
There Will Always Be People Who Don’t Get It
You’ll never be so good at communicating and leading that
100 percent of your parishioners will understand, embrace and follow the
mission. People are broken, and Satan will do his best to exploit their
brokenness and drag you down. Refuse to be dragged down by people who don’t
understand your motivations. Decide now that you will not let grumpy people
steal your joy.
Whenever these people surface, just remind yourself these
people will always be around. Even Jesus shared this experience. Remember, the
Apostle Peter was one of “those people” from time to time.
Sheep Bites Won’t Kill You
I remember reading a blog post from Brady Boyd once
where he said, “Sheep bites can’t kill me, but the gnawing will make life
miserable a few days each year.” That phrase has stuck with me and helped me
through some pretty annoying times. When the sheep are biting, I try to think
of it like a common cold. I’m gonna feel bad for a few days, but I’ll get well
soon.
God Believes in You
Consider how powerful that statement really is. God
called you to ministry, He will equip you, and He believes you are teachable
enough to develop the character He wants for you. You may feel like you can’t
keep going. You may feel like no one supports you. But that’s just not true.
God believes in you, and He’s in your corner.
There Are People in Your Church Who Love and
Support You
It’s easy for negative voices to outweigh positive ones.
Never forget the people God has put under your leadership who support you.
Perhaps you wish they’d show their support more. The best way to elicit support
from people is to be supportive of them. When was the last time you sent the
encouraging people in your church a “thank you” card?
When was the last time you took some of those folks to
lunch just to show your appreciation? When you appreciate them, you’ll always
walk away encouraged yourself.
It’s Worth It!
The vast majority of pastors will never make significant
incomes. That’s why you probably have days where you wonder if the sacrifices
you and your family make for ministry are really worth it. The answer is “Yes!”
People will experience Heaven because of your ministry. Lives will be changed,
marriages saved, hope found and truth taught.
Don’t give up, because you are making a difference. God
is eagerly preparing a place for you in Heaven that will outshine anything you
could ever have here on Earth. If you finish well, God will one day say, “Well
done, my good and faithful servant.” When He does, all of the struggles you’ve
faced will disappear and you’ll know for certain it was indeed worth it.
