Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Jesus Creed

Home
Evangelical
Standing in the Rain (by Kelly Edmiston)

Standing in the Rain (by Kelly Edmiston)

Last updated on: July 1, 2015 at 5:17 am by Scot McKnight

Standing in the Rain (by Kelly Edmiston) 2015-06-30T18:20:11-05:00 Scot McKnight

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I sit on a bench this warm summer day, watching as the sun glistens on the lake making crystals dance in a glorious ballet. The sparkle is so bright that I have to shield my eyes from its splendor. I hear the wind whistle through the trees, rustling the branches just enough to spill leaves onto the lake below. The leaves disrupt the calm of the water and cause small waves to cascade back and forth from bank to bank. The birds begin to chirp as I sway to nature’s rhythmic song.

Suddenly, I am interrupted. Plop. Plop. Plop. Then Pit. Pat. Pit. Pat. Pit. Pat. The falling rain makes deep and wide circular formations in the lake. An intoxicating freshness fills the air. Familiar with nature’s song, I graciously anticipate getting soaked by the fresh raindrops.

I look up and see an old oak tree, its branches extending far and wide over the little bench where I’m sitting. From afar, I can see the rain over there. But I am over here, under the branches of the oak, left dry. Bone dry.

This is how I’d describe pastoral burnout and depression. When we get bone dry. Many of us, perhaps especially those of us who have been in ministry for a decade or more, know the experience of sitting in the rain but not feeling it’s touch. We sit with people through the most defining and sacred moments of their lives but like watching rain on the lake, we are merely onlookers while those around us get soaked. We never actually feel the drops on our own skin.

Perhaps the weight of human emotion is too much to bear continually. We find ourselves in a paralyzing place with too many needs, questions and expectations.

I do not pretend to fully understand the battle of clinical depression, having only struggled with circumstantial depression and anxiety. But I am aware that depression prevents people from experiencing the rain in the same way the branches over my little bench kept me dry.

The images used to describe depression give voice to its inescapable characteristics. It has been called a time-defying sadness. And depression has been likened to a cloud that follows its victim wherever they go.

To these images, I add branches. With every petition to be keep personal opinions quiet, every heart-breaking character critique, every hushed conversation silenced as you walk by, the branches reach farther out and grow thicker until all you see and all you know is the branches and the bench.

These branches-this depression- recently consumed one of our beloved community pastors. He pastored a church of thousands in an affluent suburb and in his more than 40-year career became known nationwide as an influential leader in his denomination. He was a father, grandfather, husband and friend to many.

Each day on my way to work I drive by his church and am reminded of the remarkably high number of pastors who struggle with pastoral burnout and depression.

According to the Schaeffer Institute:

70 percent of pastors constantly fight depression
71 percent are burned out
72 percent of pastors say they only study the bible when they are preparing for a sermon
80 percent believe pastoral ministry has negatively affected their families
70 percent say they do not have a close friend[1]

Maybe this man who took his own life got stuck under the branches. Maybe they closed in on him until he could not move. Maybe they were branches of loneliness, fear and exhaustion. Maybe they were branches of critics and fans. Maybe they were pressure branches stemming from pastoring people who you will not ever be able to please fully.

Quite possibly, he was just tired of fighting. Fighting branches can be exhausting, especially when you long for the rain.

I wish this pastor had asked for help one more time. I wish a friend had come barreling through the branches, axe in hand, and carried him from the bench against his will. Into the rain. I wish that being a pastor did not make being pastored so difficult. I wish that pastors had the healthiest and happiest families. I wish that all pastors were part of communities interested as much in their pastor’s spiritual and emotional well being as they are in their level of productivity and ability to crowd-please.

In light of this tragic event, I sat around a table with our ministry staff and heard these words from our Senior Pastor:

“We are not a ‘from you’ culture. We are a ‘for you’ culture.”

He was pleading with us on ministry staff to care for our souls. He was encouraging us not to let any form of depression go unnoticed or undiagnosed.

So when the branches get thick and threaten to close in, call for help.

And join me. I’ll be standing in the rain.

By Kelly Edmiston, the Youth and Family Minister at the First Colony Church of Christ in Sugar Land, Tx

Find her blogging at www.brophytwinspeak.com

[1] http://www.intothyword.org/apps/articles/?articleid=36562

Uncategorized

Previous Post

July 1, 2015

Paul Subverts Male Authoritarianism

Next Post

July 1, 2015 Your Choice Is?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was raised from the dead by Peter in Joppa?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Lazarus Eutychus The widow's son Tabitha