I had a prof in seminary who emphasized several times that entering into pastoral ministry in the local church is a sure-fire way to be wounded and hurt.
Harsh words, but in my experience they are the absolute truth.
Growing up with a dad who has always been a pastor I’ve come to experience this several times before I even began working at a church myself.
Friends and co-workers will likely come and go over my time in church ministry and I have no doubt that many people will stab me in the back.
After my dad went through a difficult church split many people asked me what I thought about church. At first I wasn’t sure. The pain from people who I thought were good friends turning against my dad and family stung in the worst of ways.
But I quickly realized that the church is full of sinful people just like me. And being wounded is far better than never experiencing life with people.
Over the last 6 months I’ve had to say goodbye to close friends who I worked with and I’ve battled feelings of burnout. But every time I began to wonder if it was all worth the effort, I had one quick thought:
“This isn’t about me.”
I think those words probably apply more to those of you in Christian ministries, but it does also apply to all of us walking with Christ.
None of this is about us.
Our lives are not our own. We don’t own them, He does. They are for His glory and His purpose.
Thoughts from you? Have you been wounded before?
