People Matter To God

My day yesterday was full.  In addition to visiting a pastor in a neighboring town who’s going through a trial, I have been going through my own private hell of late.  We had our largest crowd of the year this past Sunday but I’m also losing a key family and the issues, while few, are enough to make my stomach churn.  I know leaders go through this all the time but it still doesn’t make it any better.  I just finished reading a cathartic book of sorts called “O Shepherd, Where Art Thou” by Calvin Miller.  After I finished with it, I decided I needed to go for a ride to visit some folks..

I started first with an elderly lady in our congregation who’s granddaughter just passed away.  In the past few months, this deal soul has had to endure the following: Her town home caught fire and it took months to rebuild, while living in a hotel between places she fell and broke her hip, her blind son had a stroke a few weeks back, her grandson got blood poisoning from a spider bite a week after that, and this week her granddaughter dies.  Spending time with her over an ICEE at a local sandwich shop put some things in perspective.  She hugged me and assured me all would be well with our current crisis.  She’s brave and much better at handling pain than I am that’s for sure.

Later in the day I came home and spent some time with the kids before running my son over to a friend’s house.  While I was in the city where his friend lived, I decided to travel to another family’s home not too far from where I was.  I wound up there until 9:30 last night sharing concerns with both the husband and the wife.  We talked about our kids, their future, the man’s job, and the woman’s fears.  She’s still new in the faith and learning.  As I left, they both hugged me and thanked me for my concern.  They said spending time with them was the best gift they could have had because nobody really comes to see them these days.  They are not much older than my wife and myself but it’s amazing what an investment of time will do to heal a person’s wounded spirit.  I came home at 10pm last night tired, worn, but refreshed.  This is what pastoral ministry is about.  This is why we plant churches.  Because the number of wounded outnumber the seats in a church.  If we build churches just to provide them a seat but never get to know them, we are doing them a disservice. 

I was told how blessed others were by my presence but it was the other way around.  I was blessed by their graciousness in a time when I seriously have doubted my competence to do the work I’ve been called to do.  I know that’s crazy since God gives us the heart for it but I think you would agree we’ve all been there.  I still hurt a bit today but I’m doing better.  Pray for me if you’re so inclined.