Life Behind the Curtain

It's always interesting to see where you strike a chord with people.  In my last post, I spoke to the importance of spiritual direction as a means of clergy and lay leader care.  I'm not surprised that it resonated, but I continue to be struck by how many (clergy and laity) struggle to claim some sort of meaningful practice of soul care.  It's my observation that as church leaders (again, clergy and lay), we find ourselves in one of two places: 

1. Completely overwhelmed and gasping for breath.  Because of this, we cannot even fathom finding the time, much less taking the time to take care of our own souls.  There is too much to do and too many issues that require our attention. 
2. We desperately want to be better about our soul-care (different from self-care), but we don't know where to start, how to start, and we feel guilty for the time it will take. Will we be supported in our efforts to do so if it means we say 'no' to something else??

 Why is it so important that we invest in the time and resources to care for our souls?  First, we are caring for others.  To care for others, we ourselves have to be cared for.  Secondly, and perhaps often overlooked, we need soul care simply because we as clergy and lay leaders have seen behind the curtain of the church and we are shocked by what is there. We may have entered into professional/lay ministry within a rosy picture of this holy calling as the clouds parted and God blessed us on our journey.  Truth be told,  it doesn't take long after stepping foot into the work of the church to realize the church is a human institution.  As such, it is somewhat flawed, filled with broken and flawed people, and often a source of stress rather than strength and spiritual renewal for its leaders.  That isn't to say the church is a bad place...not at all!  But when a person begins living out their call in ministry from outside the pew, they see behind the curtain of what the church is and suddenly see the imperfections.  They see the focus on numbers - budgets and attendance.  They experience the stress of living a more public life.  They live in the chaos of always looking ahead to the next big church season (which for the record, there is nothing ordinary about "ordinary time -- VBS, camps, back to school, etc).


Remember the Wizard of Oz and how Dorothy and her friends were told to ignore the man behind the curtain because it revealed something very different than what was expected?  For many who work in the church, being in ministry is seeing behind the curtain and having revealed a new and unexpected truth of how the church works and how broken it sometimes is.  Hear me say this:  God is still there.  God is still present in the midst of the brokenness and stress. We as leaders just need someone to help us see it.  That is where having a spiritual director comes in.  In cases like this, a director can not only help us stay in tune with God, but help us stay right-side up when ministry and the church get upside down.  A director will offer the space needed to talk, pray, sort through and embrace the Spirit's tugs and nudges as we move through and minister with the church.

So while I am glad that these recent topics have resonated with people, my prayer is that it will help us all move into better practices of soul care.  Whether in spiritual direction or not, do something for your soul today! Take the time to lose yourself in the scriptures.  Learn a new way to pray and find God there.  Buy a new journal to write or draw in.  Color a mandala.  Call a friend to have tea and holy conversation about how you can each support one another in faith.  Just do something.  You and your soul deserve it.