Pastors, do you pay attention to your emotions? What descriptions come to mind when you think of emotions? Important or not important? Unreliable? Superficial? Too subjective? Too feminine? Emotions are not a central part of the Christian life, but they can play a powerful role in godly living and ministry.
Emotions don’t define you, but they reveal what might be significant to you. They describe a part of your experience in a particular moment. One moment, you’re excited to hear good news. An hour later, you’re discouraged or angry after receiving an unkind email. The thought of an upcoming meeting results in nervous feelings, heart palpitations, loss of appetite, or sleepless nights. Maybe an unconfessed sin starts affecting your health. Over time, you find yourself struggling to enjoy serving as a pastor, meeting with people, or praying and reading the Bible. The temptation is to avoid paying attention to your emotions or live by your emotions.
Emotions Matter to God
Pastors face pressures in life and ministry that could overwhelm them, resulting in burnout and, in extreme cases, leaving the ministry. The temptation to please people, fix problems, show resilience, or portray near perfection is too common. Then, some situations are not in your control. You’re misunderstood, attacked, or simply not liked for whatever reasons. The apostle Paul experienced hardships, betrayals, and afflictions (2 Corinthians 1:8-10; 2 Corinthians 6:3-10). He acknowledges his pain, sufferings, and weaknesses, but relies on God and the Holy Spirit for endurance. He also knew of his dependence on brothers and sisters for ministry (Romans 15:24, 16:1-16; 2 Corinthians 7:6; 2 John 2:12).
Pastors are human beings. As a human being, you are created in the image of God with emotions. In the Bible, the heart includes emotions, thoughts, desires, and the will (Genesis 6:5; Psalm 39:3; Mark 7:21-22). Biblically, the heart is a profound part of understanding emotions. The heart affects our perspectives in life, responses to people and situations, and choices each day. It might not be an oversimplification to say that the “heart” is the real you (Proverbs 4:23). The heart is hidden from people but not from God. Throughout the Bible, God cares a lot about our hearts (cf. Deuteronomy 6:5; 1 Samuel 16:7; Mark 7:6). Emotions are complex as they are related to our whole being and our relationship with God.
Emotions Rooted in the Gospel
The Gospel changes everything about our lives, including our emotions. Who am I? What is the purpose of life? What is the purpose of ministry? Why do I suffer? What is my hope? These questions result in different emotions for each pastor, but they are related to our focus on the Gospel. We are dependent on God for godly emotions.
Our ultimate relationship is with our heavenly Father. People change. Circumstances change. God does not change. At the end of the day, pastors can go to sleep when they rest in God’s care for them. This means believing that God knows all things, sees all things, and has a purpose for all things. A steadfast pastor is someone who meditates on God’s knowledge day and night (Psalm 1:1-3) rather than people’s expectations.
Practically speaking, we pray for God to search our hearts and reveal anything that dishonors Him (Psalm 139:23-24). We read the Bible to know God personally rather than intellectually. We delight in the Bible which strengthens us in our afflictions (Psalm 119:92).
God does not demand perfection, but He calls Christians to holiness and faithfulness. If we have faith in Christ, then we can live without the burden of meeting our expectations for righteousness. Our union with Christ also means that we have the Holy Spirit to strengthen our will against temptations and to pursue what is good, loving, pure, and peaceful (Galatians 5:16-24).
We ask godly people for wisdom about our struggles. Serving as a leader can be lonely. For instance, you might be serving in a difficult situation without support. On the other hand, you might have many caring people around you, but you’re unable to share sensitive information with them. God created people to be relational. Relationships have different levels of intimacy. Jesus had his twelve disciples, but he also seemed closer to Peter, James, and John. Consider praying to God for close friends for encouragement, to receive correction, and to pray together. They might not be at your church, but they understand you and are willing to speak God’s truth in love. Isolation leads to self-sufficiency.
Emotions Evaluated Biblically
In no particular order, here are some questions to help start the process of evaluating emotions biblically:
- What do you think about often? Then, compare your list to the Bible’s teachings on them.
- Are there priorities that need to change in your life?
- Where do you place your hope for joy? Is it in people or circumstances?
- What does a successful ministry mean to you?
- Are there sins to confess to God (and others)?
- What do your prayers say about your desires for life and ministry?
- What do you demand from others?
- If you’re married, ask your spouse if she observes concerning emotions in your life.
- If you have kids, do they repeat comments about your emotions that need to change?
- If you’re not married, ask someone close to you about your emotions.
