Sooner or later it happens to everyone. We may feel it coming or it might sneak up on us. At some point in our lives, (and especially in our careers), we begin to feel unfulfilled, burned out, restless, lost, emotionally overwhelmed, frustrated, or unsure how we’ll manage to get to the next week, much less another year.
I faced such a time in 1985. I was serving a local church. The ministry was going well, but I felt very out of sorts. I was unsure of my ministry and my call. I knew I needed help. As I explored how I was feeling, I was able to rule out the need for a therapist. I talked about my feelings with mentors, family, friends who knew me well, and with my District Superintendent. Some might wonder whether trust & confidentiality were a problem in being so vulnerable with a District Superintendent, I felt comfortable talking with my D.S. because the D.S. at the time, the Rev. Dr. Doug Dillard, was as much a mentor as he was a supervisor. In fact, throughout my ministry I’ve been blessed with a few amazing D.S.’s.
I decided to explore and reexamine my call from 1995 through 1996. The short version is that I discovered that my call was fine. The problem was grounded in the way I was engaging in ministry. The discovery enabled me to make significant adjustments that have led to fulfilling ministry since that 1995 crisis. I’ll share more about 1995 to 96 details in later blogs.
Thanks for reading today’s blog!
