Worker bees....

Pastors struggle with mental illness, especially depression, at a high rate.  They take on the problems and cares of their parish, absorb the blows associated with any job, uplift others without thought for their own needs, and frequently fail to address the issues that are boiling within for fear that once the door is open, they won't be able to close it again.  It is a gift to be a pastor, to be entrusted with the most sacred of moments in the life of a parish.  But it is also a great burden, too often borne alone.

In 1 Thessalonians 5: 12-13, we read;

"Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you.  Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.  Live in peace with each other.

This is a difficult time to be a pastor.  There is much confusion and disagreement over right and wrong, what we should do about the various issues of the day, how we support those in need while continuing to uphold the values we believe in.  Not only do pastors face difficult decisions within their own parish, they also face a constant barrage of criticism online and on social media.  It must be overwhelming, and you have to be a strong person to face the daily struggle.

I am thankful for all those who take on that hard task, who faithfully shepherd their flock, who live their best life to God's highest calling, and who sacrifice their family time, their minds and hearts, their physical safety, their everything to serve the rest of us.  It is a gift of the spirit.  Wishing each pastor (and missionary and lay worker) God's peace, and the knowledge that grace is ever present and his mercy is eternal.

Separation....

We live in a world filled with labels.  We are conservative or liberal.  We are white/black/people of color.  We are Christian/Muslim/Jewish.  We are tall or short.  We want to know everything about people, not because we are interested in knowing their true heart, but to box them in and label them and identify whether they are with us or against us.  We are no longer looking for what binds us together, but rather, what separates us. In today's world, it is the differences that matter, not what draws us closer.

It is painful to be separated from those we love.  I have recently watched close family members fractured over what are, ultimately, fairly insignificant differences on a public forum.  I have seen long term friendships end over political differences.  I have seen people wounded because of careless words from someone who would never utter those thoughts if they knew the inner pain of the person they are addressing.  The moments are fleeting, but the separation is real and the impact is lasting.

As I used to tell my children when they were young, you can glue a broken lamp back together again, but the crack will always be there, and it will always be a little more fragile than it was before the break.  I am seeing more and more cracks in the foundations of our basic relationships, as well as the public discourse, and I am scared where it is leading us.  Tribalism is a natural instinct, and it can be brutal for those who don't conform.

In Romans 8:38-39 we are told by Paul:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am clinging to the promise contained in that passage these days.  The power of those words is healing in the hardest circumstances.  No matter how much hatred, fear, danger or scorn we face in the secular world we live in, God is forever seeking us, healing us, embracing us.  He doesn't look for where we go wrong so that he has an excuse to pull away from us.  Instead, he seeks our heart, and actively draws us to him, in spite of our wrongdoing or our misdeeds or our misunderstanding.  The only thing that can separate us from God's love, in fact, is our own choice.  When we reject him, we feel the chasm.  But he is always there, ready and waiting to welcome us back the moment we reach out for him.

I am thankful that I am uplifted by the love of a God who is more powerful than the dark nature of a world which is increasingly cold and filled with rage.  There is not one thing in this world that can separate me from God's love.  God is steadfast and unfailing.  That is a promise for which I am truly filled with thanksgiving.