Many times we get the impression (or give the impression) that Christians must “have it all together.” Ministers are often expected to be perfect.
I know that nobody out there would actually say that you should be perfect, but the implication is surely there that you better not mess up, and oh-by-the-way, you should be between 99 and 100% perfect (at least most of the time, if not all the time).
As I’ve learned from other leaders and tried to do my best at being one … that pressure seems to be almost everywhere and it is suffocating. It isn’t logical, it isn’t Biblical, and it isn’t fair for you to put that expectation on yourself or anybody else.
So today’s thought isn’t a top 5 list or a nifty new ministry resource, but its a simple “Get Out of Jail” card. It is gentle encouragement to take that pressure to be perfect off yourself and look for ways to give other folks around you a break too.
This may come as a breath of fresh air to some or a stomp on your toes to others, but inside your own head and especially in your heart, try to rephrase the unhealthy phrase “You can’t lead anyone to a place you haven’t arrived” to a healthier perspective. You don’t have to be perfect to be a spiritual leader, you just have to be actively on the journey of spiritual growth, too.
Take the pressure off. Don’t worry so much about “arriving” but focus more on the journey, the pursuit that the Lord has called you to.
At times that journey is a great experience and at other times it is something you must just endure. But for me, I haven’t arrived, but I’m on the way.