Wednesday Pastor: Pastor’s Roller Coaster

I’m not sure I was completely prepared for the emotional roller coaster of being a pastor.

You are constantly celebrating with people as you hear their stories of how God has worked in their lives. You get to walk with so many along their spiritual journey and watch them grow and change all along the way. You get to be a part of people coming to know Jesus, being baptized, and celebrating the Lord’s Supper. You watch as brothers and sisters in Christ begin to understand their calling in the Kingdom and use their gifts to show heaven on earth.  You get to spend a great deal of time in God’s Word and praying that the Holy Spirit will speak to people as you preach your guts out each week and lead others in worship of our great God. Nothing is more emotionally charging than these things!

Then you spend the day in a hospital watching families hurt as their loved ones suffer. You counsel people who have been beaten bloody by the brokenness of our world and the relational violence of people. You try to help the marginalized who are so often stuck in a cycle of poverty or violence knowing that the cycle is so strong that without a miracle of God it is nearly impossible to break.

The ups and downs of the roller coaster are enough to make  you sick to your stomach.

Ultimately, for me, the celebrations far outweigh the hurt. There is hope in the hurt as I get to share Emmanuel, God with us, with those who are in pain. I wouldn’t choose to do anything else. Thank God for His peace that is greater than I could ever imagine!

What do you do to stay emotionally healthy through large swings of emotion?

Advertisement