Monday Morning Manna: How to Know When a Pastor is Tired

As I was reading through a stack of pastoral resumes at a church where I was Interim Pastor, I was reminded that Pastors do get tired, but often they are working so hard, they fail to realize it. So perhaps it is time to share a list of some collected ways to know how a pastor is tired. (Not sure where I got all of these. Some might even be original with me.) Pastor-types will recognize a few of these and might even add a few more. Non-pastors need to realize some of these, to help them better relate to their pastor. Pastors are tired when: 1) The threat of being fired sounds good; 2) When standing in a hospital room, envy for the patient sets in; 3) The goal for today is to get through it without serious damage; 4) While still basking in the glow of surviving last Sunday, it occurs that another Sunday is on its way and today is Wednesday; 5) People ask if a pastor has been sick and the reply is, “Not yet;” 6) A senior who adores the pastor runs by the office to bring a cherry pie and she is avoided; 7) The personnel committee offers a six-week sabbatical and it is turned down because a decision is too difficult to make on what to do with all that free time; 8) The words to ‘”Jesus Loves Me” don’t come so quickly anymore; 9) An extra effort is made to go to that denominational meeting because it will be so boring, some rest will be available; 10) The nighttime prayer has become, “Lord, I’m tired. Amen.” Note that pastors will not admit to most of these. Love them anyway, and by all means, pray for them, and remind them of Galatians 6:9, “Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford