“When I watch the news, my heart gets all spun out of control. It’s hard work guarding your heart with all diligence. How do you do this?” Sarah Deen
Sportin’ a ‘Tude. That’s the name of a book by Christian author, Patsy Clairmont. While I’ve never read the book, I’ve always loved the title – because that’s
often me. More than I want to admit it, I’m Sportin’ a ‘Tude, and it’s usually
not a good one. It’s certainly not a Christ-honoring one.
There’s only one cure for Stinkin’ Thinkin.’ I have to tell it to Jesus. I must spend time with my Heavenly Father. I wonder if the psalmist was struggling with “Stinkin’ Thinkin’” when he wrote: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:1-2).
There are those unique individuals who wake up in the morning with a smile on their face, ready to greet the world. I’m not one of them. I need a heavenly perspective. Maybe like you my heart is contaminated by…
The bad news in the world. Before it went under, every morning I’d listen to a Chicago news radio station, WMAQ. Their slogan was “Give us 60 seconds and we’ll give you the world.” Most days that’s just about all of the world I want. Filling my mind with murders, crime, political gamesmanship, etc. can affect my outlook. I begin focusing on what the world is coming to. Spending time in the Word with my Father changes my outlook to an up look and I can focus on Who is coming to the world.
The hurts of my past. For over forty years Mother’s Day has been a hard holiday for me. It’s hard to believe that my Mom was killed in a car wreck in 1970. If I let it, it can weigh on me that Mom never met my wife or my children. But to add to that, God left me to be raised by a wealthy prescription drug addict. And I hated him! As a kid, I was so angry with God. How could He give me such a rotten deal? It was God’s Word that freed me and continues to free me. Specifically, it was Ephesians 4:32 that unlocked the dungeon of my own bitterness: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Before my feet hit the floor in the morning, I open an app on my phone that has psalms matching the day of the month. My first thoughts begin in God’s Word and I begin to pray about my day. It’s a game-changer!
The frustrations of my job. I know. I’m a pastor and only work half a day a week. I love Steve Brown who pastored Key Biscayne Presbyterian. He’s so candid. He shared that one time he was praying and sharing his heart, “Lord, the ministry would be great, if it weren’t for people.” And Steve said, “It was as if the Lord said, ‘Steve, the ministry is people.”
If I let it, it can weigh on my heart when I see people who refuse to surrender to the Lord, who are determined to live in sin even though their lives are trainwrecks or continue in soul-killing habits. Couples who if they would only surrender their self-wills could have a phenomenal marriage.
Every pastor struggles with apathy within their congregation. Pastors continually wrestle with matters of the eternal. We know that this life is temporary, yet so many that we love, pray for and preach to are focused and putting their roots down deep into a dying world. It can drain us.
Add to that, the last few years have been a perfect storm for those in ministry. According to Barna 38% are considering quitting the ministry with only 35% fall into a “healthy category.” Between Covid, social injustice division, a belligerent election, shut-downs, mask and vaccine mandates – and having folk in their congregations on extreme and polar opposite positions with no seeming middle ground, it was exhausting. I’m so thankful our church has been spared most of that, but there have been some very taxing times.
Add to that, pastors frequently interact with folk at the darkest periods of their lives. While there are the weddings and births that we celebrate, there are also the deaths, accident scenes, bad medical prognoses, troubled children, marriages and job losses. No one has ever called me in the middle of the night to let me know they won the lottery (please be the first, lol).
Every job has its stress, pain, hassles and burdens. My point is that the ministry though is not some safe spiritual cocoon. Pastoral ministry apart from the Lord is a temptation to sport’ a ‘tude. Sadly, I know many pastors and pastors’ wives who do. But what gets me through, what gives me joy, peace and fulfillment is the same thing that can give every believer joy, peace, and fulfillment – time in the Word, time with my Father.
If you’re a believer and fail to consistently spend time with the Lord, you’ll be miserable and miserable to be around. Joy and peace aren’t environmental. They’re gifts from a loving Father that come from spending time with Him. So, what must change is not around you, it’s in you.
God wants you to have the abundant life now, from the inside out (Rom. 12:1-2). He wants to spend time with you. So start the habit. Don’t make it a spiritual marathon. Just commit to spending time daily with your Father. Maybe download a Bible app on your phone or listen to the Word on your commute. Just do it! Start today!
There’s only one cure for Stinkin’ Thinkin.’ I have to tell it to Jesus. I must spend time with my Heavenly Father. I wonder if the psalmist was struggling with “Stinkin’ Thinkin’” when he wrote: “I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth” (Ps. 121:1-2).
There are those unique individuals who wake up in the morning with a smile on their face, ready to greet the world. I’m not one of them. I need a heavenly perspective. Maybe like you my heart is contaminated by…
The bad news in the world. Before it went under, every morning I’d listen to a Chicago news radio station, WMAQ. Their slogan was “Give us 60 seconds and we’ll give you the world.” Most days that’s just about all of the world I want. Filling my mind with murders, crime, political gamesmanship, etc. can affect my outlook. I begin focusing on what the world is coming to. Spending time in the Word with my Father changes my outlook to an up look and I can focus on Who is coming to the world.
The hurts of my past. For over forty years Mother’s Day has been a hard holiday for me. It’s hard to believe that my Mom was killed in a car wreck in 1970. If I let it, it can weigh on me that Mom never met my wife or my children. But to add to that, God left me to be raised by a wealthy prescription drug addict. And I hated him! As a kid, I was so angry with God. How could He give me such a rotten deal? It was God’s Word that freed me and continues to free me. Specifically, it was Ephesians 4:32 that unlocked the dungeon of my own bitterness: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”
Before my feet hit the floor in the morning, I open an app on my phone that has psalms matching the day of the month. My first thoughts begin in God’s Word and I begin to pray about my day. It’s a game-changer!
The frustrations of my job. I know. I’m a pastor and only work half a day a week. I love Steve Brown who pastored Key Biscayne Presbyterian. He’s so candid. He shared that one time he was praying and sharing his heart, “Lord, the ministry would be great, if it weren’t for people.” And Steve said, “It was as if the Lord said, ‘Steve, the ministry is people.”
If I let it, it can weigh on my heart when I see people who refuse to surrender to the Lord, who are determined to live in sin even though their lives are trainwrecks or continue in soul-killing habits. Couples who if they would only surrender their self-wills could have a phenomenal marriage.
Every pastor struggles with apathy within their congregation. Pastors continually wrestle with matters of the eternal. We know that this life is temporary, yet so many that we love, pray for and preach to are focused and putting their roots down deep into a dying world. It can drain us.
Add to that, the last few years have been a perfect storm for those in ministry. According to Barna 38% are considering quitting the ministry with only 35% fall into a “healthy category.” Between Covid, social injustice division, a belligerent election, shut-downs, mask and vaccine mandates – and having folk in their congregations on extreme and polar opposite positions with no seeming middle ground, it was exhausting. I’m so thankful our church has been spared most of that, but there have been some very taxing times.
Add to that, pastors frequently interact with folk at the darkest periods of their lives. While there are the weddings and births that we celebrate, there are also the deaths, accident scenes, bad medical prognoses, troubled children, marriages and job losses. No one has ever called me in the middle of the night to let me know they won the lottery (please be the first, lol).
Every job has its stress, pain, hassles and burdens. My point is that the ministry though is not some safe spiritual cocoon. Pastoral ministry apart from the Lord is a temptation to sport’ a ‘tude. Sadly, I know many pastors and pastors’ wives who do. But what gets me through, what gives me joy, peace and fulfillment is the same thing that can give every believer joy, peace, and fulfillment – time in the Word, time with my Father.
If you’re a believer and fail to consistently spend time with the Lord, you’ll be miserable and miserable to be around. Joy and peace aren’t environmental. They’re gifts from a loving Father that come from spending time with Him. So, what must change is not around you, it’s in you.
God wants you to have the abundant life now, from the inside out (Rom. 12:1-2). He wants to spend time with you. So start the habit. Don’t make it a spiritual marathon. Just commit to spending time daily with your Father. Maybe download a Bible app on your phone or listen to the Word on your commute. Just do it! Start today!
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