And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard for you, who have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your obedience. Overwhelm them with appreciation and love!
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13a
October is pastor appreciation month. Though I tease around and proclaim I do not have a pastor nor have I had one in fifteen plus years, I realize that I do have my very own pastor. I have received a front row seat in watching what a pastor does throughout their ministry. At times, I have wanted to be an announcer and make sure everyone sees what a great job my husband is doing and how long he worked on that event. Sometimes, I have wanted to be the referee and throw a few penalty flags for misconduct by others. I have tried to be the coach occasionally and tell him what to do. But in reality, my position is on the bench; watching, observing, learning and when called upon, to serve alongside him as his teammate. There have been wonderful times of victory and there have been challenging and discouraging times when we wanted to call it quits and head for the locker room.
My husband, and pastor, has served with obedience to the call God has given him. Throughout his ministry, I have seen him do many things including hauling a piano, baby bed, toys, and boxes to the church every Sunday for four years. I have seen him work on building projects until he couldn’t move, be the first to arrive and the last to leave, clean bathrooms, take out the trash, vacuum, straighten classrooms, put out chairs, pick up trash in parking lots, and make the coffee. I have seen him study and prepare over a thousand sermons, teachings, funerals, and weddings. I have seen him come home so tired, sit down, and get a phone call and leave to make a hospital visit. I have seen him go help with domestic violence involving a gun at two in the morning. I have seen him visit many people in jail. I have seen him pour his time and love into helping someone only to have them not speak to him when the crisis is over. I have seen him take criticism lovingly, praise humbly, and unkind behavior kindly. I have watched as he is always the last to go through the dinner lines. I have seen him cry with the brokenhearted, laugh with the joyous, pray with those in need, stand up for those being attacked, lovingly correct those who are causing hurt, encourage the discouraged, love the unlovely, befriend the lonely, father the fatherless, and genuinely care for people. He has hauled people’s trash, ministered to people's friends and family, moved many people, driven people to other towns, had people live with us, and worked in their business when they needed help. I have seen him hold people’s hands as they are dying and tenderly love them and the family through the process.
Through all of this, I have never seen him complain, be full of anger towards someone, be revengeful, expect to be paid back, try to elevate himself, tell others what he does, or expect to be treated different. I have learned many things from him: a true servant’s heart, unconditional love, humility, obedience no matter what the cost, and Godly wisdom. I am sure that I am not the only one that has learned these things from him.
Now, don’t get me wrong; my husband is not perfect; he is still an everyday man. However, there are far more good qualities in him than imperfections. I am sure that your pastor has great qualities as well. I am sure that there are people you know who would rather see his imperfections than his goodness. The question is what are you going to focus on?
There are lots of events happening in churches this month honoring their pastors. It is a time we remember to be grateful for their service to us, which we so often take for granted. Let me encourage you to not only do something for your pastor corporately but to also take time to tell them how they make a difference in your life. Maybe you could write a card to an old pastor or a pastor friend as well. There is no better encouragement you can give a pastor than to let them know their hard work matters in leading people to a closer walk with Jesus!
Thank you Dwayne for the pastor you are and
for the way you reflect Jesus to the world around you!
2 comments:
Tonya, I appreciate the way you so thoughtfully described the day-to-day world of your pastor. Most of us don't think much about what it takes, or the sacrifices made to be a pastor.
Dwayne, thank you for teaching us, thank you for leading us, thank you for being there when we need you, thank you for all you do in Jesus name...God bless you.
Sometimes we need to remember all the sacrifices and hard work Dwayne does do for us all. Thanks Dwayne and thanks Tonya for being a good teammate with Dwayne.
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