Recently, my wife and I went through a rollercoaster of emotions as we dealt with many personal health struggles. While this situation ended well for both of us, and also ended with news that we are expecting another child this fall, it was a long and personal struggle. Because of the nature of some of it, we chose not to share it with anyone outside of our immediate families. This meant that the people in our church, including the volunteers that serve with us, thought everything was fine.
I suspect that similar situations happen every day in churches across this country. Pastors, for personal reasons, choose not to share every little detail of their life with church members and volunteers.
Your pastor might right now be struggling with something that they are unable to share. Maybe they are wrestling with health issues, their personal calling, temptations, family stress, or any number of possible difficulties. They need their volunteers to pray for them and with them, even when you don’t know what you are praying for. During these difficult times, a well timed word of encouragement, facebook message, or thank you card speaks volumes.
I’m going to challenge you today to do two things. First, pray for your pastor or children’s pastor today. Don’t do it later, do it as soon as you finish reading this post. Second, let your pastor know you are praying for them by either a phone call, email, card, text, etc. Remind them that if they ever need prayer for something specific, you’d be happy to pray with them.
The person he said this to was a friend and thought it was funny response – but actually, how true it is for many pastors.
I’ve been there before. It’s so true.