Tokens of Gratitude

October wasn't just No Fast Food month.  It was also Pastor Appreciation month.

Throughout the month Lazy Dad and I received tokens of gratitude for being our congregation's Pastor.

It was very sweet to be appreciated by so many wonderful people that we truly love.

Being a Pastor is tuff stuff, y'all.

I think most people probably consider being a Pastor a pretty cush job.  I mean, a Pastor only works one day a week, right?

WRONG.

Lazy Dad may not have office hours like most people.  But that's because you have to be available when people are available.  So that means, nights, weekends, lunch hours, early mornings.

But crazy hours aren't what makes this position so demanding.  There's actually many things you wouldn't realize that make it hard, but if I'm being brutally honest, what's most hard is this...

Being a Pastor means you are pastoring PEOPLE.  It's not the people themselves, mind you, it's the fact that you're in their lives.  Or let me say it this way, you're in the emotional part of their lives.  The highs and the lows, the good and the bad, the ups and the downs.

You're in their messes.
You're in their counseling.
You're in their tears.
You're in their disappointments.
You're in their hurts.
You're in their losses.
You're in their lowest moments.

Then add all of that to your own messes, counseling, tears, disappointments, hurts, losses, low moments, and it can be downright overwhelming. 

There are moments when the highs overshadow the lows, but there are also moments when the lows overshadow the highs.

There's times when you feel inadequate. Unequipped.  Not educated enough.

Sometimes you feel like giving up.  Calling it quits.  Throwing in the towel and walking away from it all.

But.

In those moments there's God.

His still small voice.  Encouraging, strengthening, reminding, equipping, imparting.

I'm so thankful that He's there through it all.

Yes, these sweet moments of appreciation this past month mean a lot.

Because you try your hardest to get this "job" right.  You try your hardest to make the best decisions that will benefit the congregation as a whole.  And not everyone always likes the decisions that are made.

But in the end you aren't there to please everybody.  You're there to lead them closer to God.  To encourage them to be more like Jesus every day. 

So these cards are sweet reminders that being in people's lives is a good thing.

 Especially cards that go on and on about how awesome the Pastor's wife is....

*blush*

Posted in: Faith