Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. | Hebrews 12:1–4
After yet another pastoral suicide, the internet (or at least the Christian pocket within it) exploded with warnings to pastors about mental health and Christian leadership (you can read about it here, here, or here). I believe that there is a growing pressure on pastors, based on many factors, social media being chief among them. The unique role of the pastor, as those who are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account, is heightened by the constant connection to every facet of everyone’s life. There is a need to ‘always be on’ that becomes overwhelming when there is no place you can ever turn off. The first article linked here describes the complicated burden on pastors and their families this way:
Here is a list of problems which occur more frequently and with greater intensity among pastors and their wives (in no specific order, from Dr. Tom Zempel): irregular schedules; unrealistic expectations and demands from the congregation; living in a fishbowl environment; time pressures due to the magnitude of the work; the nature of the work – doing the Lord’s work; frequent counseling; frequency of engaging in other people’s problems – like grief, marital issues, financial concerns, and other tragedies; unusual financial demands – usually a very low salary; unbiblical views of the wife and children – by either the pastor or the congregation; people occasionally competing for the pastor’s time and attention; educational differences between husband and wife; an uncommitted or less committed spouse; lack of intimate friends – thus loneliness; lack of spiritual advisers for counsel; following a well-liked pastor and being compared; housing arrangements especially with a parsonage; frequent moves or little permanent roots; and often no retirement, housing, or pension.
By the grace of God, I am in a place where I do not deal with a great number of these pressures, though some of them do sound very familiar. A better understanding of the relationship between the pastor and the church would help create a healthier environment for all involved. This post is not about how to change the environment, because people are going to sin (pastors and congregations alike); this article is about what we should do with these pressures, along with the pressures faced by those outside of the role of pastor. While everything to this point has been about pastors, similar stresses and continual pressure has caused a rapid increase in suicide and depression across the board.
Many of the articles that I have read have encouraged people to take the struggle seriously, to talk about it, and to seek help through counseling. All of these are important steps. One thing seems to be left out of many of these conversations: the best thing we can do to avoid letting the serious pressures of anxiety and depression defeat us is to look to Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith. This isn’t because Jesus makes it all go away, but Jesus makes it clear that handling it perfectly was never going to happen in the first place. Jesus sits with us in the midst of all of the frustration and makes it clear that He isn’t going to leave just because we are failures. Even more than that, Jesus promises that He can make even give purpose to our weaknesses by using them in His plan for glory.
This may sound simplistic to some, but embracing the reality of who Jesus is refocuses the weight. As Derek preached this week, God’s passion is for His own glory. This means that every part of what He is doing is to take our eyes off of ourselves to look at Him. With this, we are released from the pressures of performance, reputation, and proving ourselves. We can run with endurance the race set before us, because we know that no matter how hard it gets, no matter how far short we know we fall, God is both with us (seated at the right hand of the throne of God) and the defining point of our meaning has already been secured: endured the cross, despising the shame. Looking to Jesus changes the conversation from what CAN be done to what HAS been done. It changes our part from trying to uphold some facade of our own goodness to bringing glory to the God who has given us everything we need.
This life can be quite overwhelming, especially when we allow the expectations of the world (societal, relational, or our own self-critical voice) to tell us that who we are. Instead, consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. If He gave up so much in order to save you, you are far more valuable than you could ever imagine.