Every Pastor Would Understand!

I am fond of saying that being a Pastor is not a "job", it's a calling.

If it were a job, many of us would resign every Monday!

In fact, there is a book entitled "It Only Hurts On Monday: Why Pastor's Quit And What You Can Do About It." I have a Deacon here at Westmoreland Baptist that read that book years ago and he orders extra copies to give to new Deacons who come on board.  There is a lot of truth in that book.

Another dear friend and Deacon told me on several occasions, "You guys must be crazy to do this!"  Well...
Stress does come with the territory.  But who among us doesn't have to deal with stress.  The joy is, Pastors get to work through some special kinds of stress that may not be in the wheelhouse of most folks out there.  We do it because that is what God has called us to do, and no complaints here.  But I do often pray for God's grace, and over more than four decades in ministry, I have developed a hide somewhat like a Rhinoceros.

Sometimes folks can add to the stress - intentionally (and unintentionally) by comments, questions, and "important" items they want to share with us.
This morning I came across a blog post from Thom Rainer that I could really identify with.  It's called "Ten Sentences That Make A Pastor Cringe".  Every Pastor I know can relate, I'm sure.  You can read it by clicking  Here.

Have a nice day, and don't let the stress stop you.