Eveyone encounters different folks on different trajectories of life everyday! I will venture to say that if you are a counselor, or a vocational minister you will be a bit more exposed to this in a more "up close and personal" manner!
The last week has just been close to bewildering at all the varying trajectories of life I have encountered among the people I serve and meet! Some of them are soaring trajectories - full of hope, vision, excitement, and enthusiasm. Some of them are soaring downward - robbed, at least temporarily of joy, of hope, leading to discouragement, despair, and depression!
My brain (really, my soul) has encountered one of those weeks where it needs a great refreshing from the Lord! Having done what I do for many years makes it easier to swing from one extreme of ministry to another without it being too difficult to do! But there are weeks where it piles up! You walk from the funeral home into a wedding planning session! There is a contrast! You go from the bedside in ICU where someone has just died - into a room with a newborn! You go from someone who feels that all hope is gone to another person who is just hanging on your every word for hope!
As we all minister - clergy and laypeople - we get most depleted in "being all things to all people" that by the grace of God, we might win some!
How do you recover? I used to think it was just getting out of the office and ministry needs for a day! And there is nothing wrong with that! I have found, though, that what helps me most is telling someone, writing it down (like here), and then spending more time in the Word of God and prayer!
God can restore our spirits instantly! God can bless us physically - and usually does require our participation in rest! We are always going to be encoutering people on various trajectories of life! The key is to stay focused on Christ so our personal trajectory is not overwhelmed by everyone else!
Trying to be All to All is very depleting I know!
Although thru our depletion we recognize our need
for regeneration In this We Grow!
Posted by: Walter Wright | July 19, 2012 at 11:19 AM