The Blessings and Difficulties of Being a Minister

Sharing Jesus’ story and helping others focus on living in truth and guiding a church to be spiritually connected with God and encouraging men and women who have committed to living the Jesus life not to slack up and loving the critics, the unfaithful, the troublemakers and the lackluster Christian is a tremendous task for a minister to take on day in and day out. 

 

I know for a fact that God created me to be a minister.  I knew and felt the calling when I was 9 or 10.  What I didn’t know is the burden that calling of being a minister would have on me mentally, emotionally and physically. 

 

I love being a minister.  I enjoy preaching and teaching.  I am thrilled when one surrenders their life to Jesus.  I am overjoyed when the church is thriving and connected to the community.  I am excited when babies are dedicated to God and children’s classrooms are filled with noisy kids and when those same kids are running around the church house laughing and playing. 

 

However, there is a deep burden within me to ensure the church is always spiritually healthy.  I struggle internally when the church community doesn’t seem to care about their own spirituality, much less, their neighbors, co-workers or family members.  I know that I can’t make someone take ownership of his or her spiritual walk with Christ; but it troubles my heart. 

 

My life isn’t perfect.  I am flawed.  Lack consistency.  Disappoint God and others.  Negative.  Slow to forgiving, but quick to judge and anger at times.  And, my internal struggle shuts the door to self-control and opens the door to overeating and anxiousness. 

 

Ephesians 4:11-12 speaks loudly to me, “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.”  The calling to teach and evangelize (disciple) and to spiritually lead is huge.  They are not meaningless task, but rather, the spiritual fire starter and the fan to flame the longevity of ones spiritual relationship that he or she committed to living out daily.  Being a catalyst isn’t a Sunday morning job; rather, it is daily. 

 

Leading people spiritually who work 10 to 12 hours a day who have family responsibilities that include sports, dance recitals, band or choir concerts, and drama plays and a host of other obligations is difficult.  Helping people balance and navigate the spiritual disciplines that will enable them to be spiritually strong is challenging, but rewarding.

 

I take the calling God gave me seriously.  While I am burdened, I am also grateful that God chose me to be an ambassador for Christ.  I love preaching and teaching and spiritually leading other.  I love experiencing the blessings, for they outweigh any negativity by far. 

 

Remember, Be God Controlled!

 

Brian