Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Good servants, poor masters

A dear friend and spiritual mentor once described emotions to me as ‘good servants but poor masters’.

I’ve often reflected on this. Without emotions life would be monochrome, inhuman – dead. Yet, if we’re ruled entirely by our emotions then the result is instability, unfaithfulness and ultimately chaos.

I shared this nugget of truth last night at my ‘Elisha band’ (an occasional get-together between pastors and their flock which happen every eight or nine weeks in our church calendar). The band went well, on the whole, and I was left afterwards with a warm fuzzy feeling of something like success.

But it was a warm, fuzzy feeling that sat on top of a cold, sharp feeling. Why? Well... not every pastoral relationship brings unqualified joy. Sometimes (often?) it’s more about heartache, conflict, uncertainty and desperate longing.

So I was left last night – and this morning – with this strange hot-and-cold inner cocktail. I want my human feelings to make me tenderer, more passionate, more open to Jesus, more humble and able to listen. I don’t want them to bully me into extremes and insanity.

I know I need others to keep me on track.

As a Christian leader, every moment of delight is bordered with sadness; every moment of despair is lit softly by joy.

Till we see Him – face to face.

4 comments:

s0upy said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
s0upy said...

As the song goes:
"The glory, the glory, the glory of God is rising...
I rejoice in my sufferings for you..."

Mysterious that it talks about us 'filling up' what was lacking in the afflictions of Christ. Mmm.

Anonymous said...

Come Lord jesus...soon...

Anonymous said...

Bitter sweet.
Yes life is never unqualified joy or sadness, but I'm so glad that God holds us and is the last word on every subject.
Love and grace again. (That cross you dropped with me is still in the Tyne somewhere).
Piers