Did you know that the command to "Rejoice!" is in the Bible over 800 times! That is more that any other command in the Bible. God must be pretty serious about it!
Bill and I recently went to a Pastor's Renewal Retreat up at Crystal Mountain Ski Resort. I do have to honestly admit that when we left home, renewal and refreshment were definitely things that we desperately needed! We had both fallen into the trap of frustration and bitterness in ministry and it was skewing how we viewed our church and our calling. There were several things that had happened that had contributed to our feelings. None of these events were huge, but they seemed to accumulate and weigh us down.
Imagine our shock when we had several conversations with other pastors and their wives who knew exactly where we were coming from! That in and of itself was refreshing!
The most amazing part of the week was the revelation that each of us is responsible for his or her own joy! The people in our congregation, our families and our friends may do things or say things to us, but it is how we choose to respond to them that determines whether we have joy in our lives. Joy is a choice! Who knew?
We came back with a totally new outlook on our ministry. We have coined the phrase that we now "filter everything through joy". It makes a huge difference in how you view people and circumstances in your life. Emotions come with the things happening to you. Joy is how you choose to react to those circumstances through the power of Christ!
We have challenged the ministry leaders at our church to "filter everything through joy" that comes into their lives and also the things that come out of their hearts and mouths! That can definitely be a struggle too!
We need to protect our own joy and the joy of the people around us. Doing this can only be done by slowing down and "taking every though captive" (II Cor. 10:5).
In a society that loves to point the finger and place the blame, this is not an easy pill to swallow. Rejoicing is obviously not an option! How is your joy today?
I have so much to learn!
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This is something that my Mom used to say to me in church. I think it is something God says to me everyday! This is a place for me to express some thoughts I am having about the things God is teaching me (or He is trying to teach me!)
"Be still and know that I am God ..."
Psalm 46:10 is my favorite verse in the Bible. I have learned so much by trying to apply it to my life. Every day I have to make a conscious decision to rest in God and let Him be the Lord of my life!
About Me
- Kim Lawson
- Lansing, Michigan
- I am Christ's child, Bill's wife of twenty-two years and Cassie and Bailey's Mom. I was placed on this earth to make God smile! Sometimes it is a smile because He is proud of me and sometimes the smile comes with a shake of His head because He can't believe what I'm up to!
4 comments:
This is a very sad accusation at the people in your church-that they were the cause of soooo much pain for you! I know your point was that of "joy" but it was made at the expense of your congregation. Maybe you should spend some time talking to pastor's wives who actually love their people!
I do love my people. I love my kids too, but they frustrate me sometimes also. Pastor's wives are people too and they can get hurt when hurtful things are said. My congregation is full of amazing people, but they are people. I have talked to many pastor's wives and I know that frustration and depression are quite prevalent in ministry. I believe your expectations of pastors and their wives may be unrealistic. Pastors and their wives are just people who have dedicated their lives to full time ministry. They have feelings and they are effected by people and their actions. They may even be more effected because they do care so much and they do take things to heart so much. I am sorry if you took offense to my blog, but I hope that you understand that it was not meant to speak negatively against my congregation. It was meant to speak more of my need to learn how to deal with the negative when it does come my way because it has and it will in the future. I do believe that the people at Willow Community Church know that I love them and I would hope that they would understand the intent behind this post.
Kim
I don't usually respond to pointed and baseless accusations, but this is my wife and I think she was correct in sharing her thoughts about something she learned, so I have a couple points of my own to make about the comment leveled at Kim.
1. I think it is cowardly and selfish to comment with any criticism anonymously. Why wouldn't you want to let Kim know who you are? It appears to me that you realized that you were going to intentionally hurt her but chose retreat to safety without being help accountable.
2. The way you commented makes Kim's point perfectly! For some reason, you took Kim's comment to mean that all of her hurt was only from church people. That was a little leap. If you go back and read her blog you might see what she said in slightly different light than the shroud of your own preconceived notions of how Kim should feel, act and respond.
3. You must not be a pastor's wife or have any close personal friends who are pastor's wives. Every one get's hurt by people, mostly people who are close to us, and pastors and their wives are no exception. You would know that if you had the experience necessary to be in her shoes. Therefore, since Kim is close to so many people at Willow, she sometimes get's hurt.
4. Please contact me. My e-mail is: bill@willowcommunity.org and my cell phone no. is: 1-517-410-8914. I would love to talk to you and find out what your expectations are for people in the ministry.
To imply that Kim does not love her congregation is unfair. She loves us deeply and only wants to see all of us living the lives God intends for us. This blog is supposed to be a place where Kim can share her thoughts, struggles, and ideas. I love knowing that my pastor's wife is a person first and deals with some of the same frustrations in her job as I do as a teacher who cares deeply for her students even when they drive me crazy!! Filtering through joy can be a very difficult thing to do especially when one is criticized in such a hurtful manner. I think all of us have to remember that we are all human and no where near perfect. Mistakes are made and feelings are hurt even when that was never the intention.
Kim first told me of this concept of filtering through joy at my grandfather's viewing. I have to say it really makes a difference when you consciously attempt to do it.
Sheila
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