If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. (Romans 12:18)
I am an Associate Pastor in a church that tries very hard to live by that verse. They are genial, warm, and welcoming. It’s what drew my wife and I to the church in the first place. From day one we felt like family. It has made my job as an Associate Pastor a fairly easy one.
That’s why recently when there was discord at our church, it was a struggle for me. Again, not to sound boasting, but these things don’t occur very often in this church. It crossed my mind that, in normal circumstances, I might have had trouble finding somewhere to turn to for help with the problem. As it happens, I also work at Care for Pastors. So, when faced with this difficulty, I had the assurance that I could find caring and wise counsel to help me in my struggle and find it pretty quickly.
Clearly, the trick to getting help is to ask. Therein lies the rub. As pastors, we’re the caregivers. We are the counselors. We’re the “spiritual ones” who walk in wise and sagacious ways. We’re not supposed to be the ones who need help. Neither are our wives or our children. Somehow, we’re just supposed to be this godly Rock of Gibraltar, unfazed by the storms that beat against us.
Except that often this is just not true. Pastors and their families are people too. We hurt, we struggle, we need help from time to time. These struggles cover the entire spectrum of our human experience. Struggles with our marriages, children, and ministries. The pain of loss, anger, and betrayal.
In my experience, the hardest part to receiving help is asking for help. Often, we’ve fallen victim to that picture described above and we feel like asking is a form of failure. Making that first contact; a phone call or an email can be hard. Most of the people we speak with admit they wish they had reached out sooner.
Galatians 6:2 reads, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Care for Pastors is here to be fellow burden bearers, to help you return to that point in your life and ministry where the burdens are light and manageable, regardless of what type of struggles they are. For those in need of help, because of the burdens of life and ministry, there may only be one obstacle left to finding it. If you feel like you are struggling alone, I urge to take that first step and contact us at Care for Pastors. We look forward to hearing from you.
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