The addiction to the latest thing.
I have been pastor at my church for 21 years. That is over 1000 Monday mornings to contend with. Monday is the day after the “big day” for pastors. Monday is the day of analysis, the day to practice letters of resignation, the day we are fired up or completely worn out because of the “big day.” Out of the those 1000 Monday’s I would guess I have composed my resignation about 100 times, wanted to compose someone else’s resignation about 100 times, was completely satisfied maybe 500 times and was disappointed 300 times. Everyone has a “Monday” even if it’s not on a Monday.
When Phinneaus’ wife gave birth on the same tragic day that the Ark of the Covenant was captured and her husband and father in law were killed, she named that baby “Ichabod” which meant “the glory has departed.” She had named her whole future and her childs future according to one bad day. We can do the same thing. We can name our entire future according to one bad day. We must get over our addiction to the emotional residue left from the last meeting, the great or disappointing service and the criticism or the praise from your last sermon. We are running a marathon, not a sprint.
Here are a few things I have learned about going the distance;
I don’t have to hit a “home run” every Sunday. That is way too much pressure. My call is to preach the Godpel in and out of season. I have many Sundays where I struck out, bunted, hit a foul ball and some where I did hit that homer. Every week doesn’t have to be better than the week before.
Disappointment is the distance between expectation and reality. Sometimes my expectation is way out of whack. I used to think that every Sunday might be the beginning of worldwide revival. I still like thinking that but I am a bit more real now.
Enjoy the ride. Stop putting pressure on yourself to preside over perfection. Tapes break, CD’s won’t load, wrong notes are hit, the power goes out, computers decide not to work, mic’s are too loud, feedback happens. Don’t let it ruin the day.
Don’t become a junkie looking for the next high. Ministry does get routine sometimes. Ministry does have its doldrums. Don’t go out looking for the fix it all conference or the blockbuster new method to generate adrenaline. Plod through it.
What God is doing and shaping in your church takes time…a long time. Yeah, I have heard the stories about the church planted that grew to a thousand people in 6 months but those stories are rare and unusual. Hang in there, God is sculpting not microwaving.
Be done with competition and comparing. There is hardly anything as damaging as comparing yourself and your ministry to others because we usually compare ourselves to something that makes us feel unworthy. Be done with comparing. Let God do something unique in YOU.
There is a hill that threatens to break you. I learned this in cross country. I also learned that it was all mental and not physical. You can beat this hill, just keep going.
Every church must be fought for. The problems in the church that the last guy left and the guy before him must not be left for the guy after you. You take it on and fight for your church.
Here is to your success!
