Last week Lillian Daniel had an interesting blog on Faith & Leadership entitled "What clergy do not need." It was about taking a moratorium on talking about 'clergy self care."
She wrote,
"But ultimately, the notion of self-care does not work because we don’t have in us what is required. Self-care is the Band-Aid we put on spiritual exhaustion, dark nights of the soul, and the disappointment of consecutive losing seasons in a long ministry. It seems odd that as Christians, we would tell one another that the answer to such woes lies in ourselves, and in our own will power and our own resolutions to do better. We take a spiritual problem that affects a community and give it an individualistic and therapeutic answer."
I like her thinking. Often we speak about self care and forget that our life, and power in the ministry doesn't flow simply from our lives. It comes from the greater source of God. He has provided what we need to survive and thrive in pastoral ministry.
First, He has given us our salvation through our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Second, He has filled us with the Holy Spirit to teach us, guide us, and empower us.
Third, He created a healthy schedule of work six days a week and on the seventh have a Sabbath, a break a time to STOP and sit at his feet.
Fourth, He has surrounded us with other Christians, some in our churches, and some are fellow clergy.
All four of these 'things' are given for helping us in the life of pastoral ministry. But often we as clergy don't take advantage of the second, third and fourth gifts.
We forget that along with our faith in Jesus Christ we have been filled with the Holy Spirit, 'who proceeds from the Father and the Son,' to fill us and empower us. We have been given this wonderful person as a gift to assist us in carrying out the mandate that God has given us in our call.
But we also don't take time to STOP and take a Sabbath. So often I talk with pastors and they tell me how busy they are. No time to take a week off, no time to sit in the presence of God for an extended period of time. But as I have said before "Sabbath rest comes before ministry." And as Dan Allender writes in his new book Sabbath: The Ancient Practices, Sabbath may be good for us, but in the beginning it is a commandment.
The final part of our taking care of ourselves lies in a healthy community of committed followers to Jesus Christ. As clergy we should participate in community as well as lead the community of faith. Having Christian friends, prayer groups, places to have fun and laugh all help in our own self care.
If you are reading this as a full time pastor, I would encourage you to not only talk about self care, but to do it. Instead of always working as a pastor take time to sit at Jesus feet. Take time to go fishing as Peter and the apostles did after the first resurrection. Ask God for a fresh in-filling of the Holy Spirit. Watch a great movie with your wife and family.
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