A Hopeful Thought for a Discouraged Pastor

One night I woke up at 3am, jumped out of bed and ran to my computer.

I was a new entrepreneur, and somehow, in the middle of the night, my brain had solved a coding problem that had stumped me the day before. I had to try it immediately. It worked!

That was twelve years ago when I started my own business. I remember the excitement of it all. Bursting with ideas. Loving every minute.

Then, at some point, reality hit.

I felt like I couldn’t do anything right. I had money problems. I had employee problems. I had sales problems.

Nothing seemed to be working. I felt like a complete failure!

This is what entrepreneurs call “The Valley of Despair.”

It’s a normal part of the emotional journey of an entrepreneur. But the valley doesn’t last forever. Things start to look up, and you get excited about your ideas again.

Maybe pastors go through a similar cycle?

I’m learning that pastors probably go through this too. I’m guessing so, because I’m in it now.

When I started as a lead pastor, I was so motivated. I had tons of ideas. I felt like I knew what needed to be done.

Now I’m a year and a half in. The last couple of weeks, I feel like a complete idiot. No idea what I’m doing. I feel like a terrible leader. My head says, “Why would anyone want me to be their pastor?”

It’s all a part of the process

Hang in there, pastor (I’m writing to myself now): It’s all a part of the process. Lean on Jesus. Lean on your team. Lean on your family. Lean on the church. They’ve got your back. Jesus put you here for a reason. Don’t forget that.

Let go of the pressure. It’s Jesus’ church. He’s in control. He’s got this.

Take courage, pastor!

This post was created with Typeshare