On Preachers & Preaching

There are days I miss standing before a group of worshippers being able to share messages of hope and encouragement, then there are days I am reminded that serving a church is not an easy job. There are discouragements, frustrations and disappointments. There are people and personalities that will lift you to the heavens and others that will bring you to your knees in prayer.

This week I was reminded just how hard it can be to stand before 500 critics, live in a glass house, or try to love the unloveable. You paste on your best smile, you greet friends and detractors with the same loving concern, but inside your stomach is turning upside down and you head pounds as you struggle to remain a light in moments of darkness.

All that being said, the roll of leadership requires greater discretion, thicker skin, and more temperance and understanding than almost any other job out there. Longsuffering must be one of the foundation principles of those dealing with the souls of men and women.

We strive to shape ourselves into the image of Christ, but that old earthly nature reaches out and grabs us everyone once in a while. How longsuffering is our Father? How much does he endure of our foolishing, disobedience and sin? In the times we are most discouraged with our brethren, it is also the hardest to recieve criticism ourselves.

I know that when my emotions run high, I am not very receptive to constructive criticism. I feel entitled to my wrath and discontent. I was reminded years ago by a wise old minister, to allowing myself a cooling off period. When I really wanted to let one of those fire and brimstone lessons go, to shelve it for a few weeks until I could look objectively at my own emotions. It was amazing how many times when I allowed my head to cool off, I changed the language and tone of my message.