Joy

7 Ways to Find Joy Today if Yesterday’s Ministry Was Hard

Chuck Lawless | February 06, 2024
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I’ve been involved in the local church as a pastor long enough to know that some Sundays are really hard. If that’s the case for you, I hope these ideas will help you find some joy today:

  1. Focus on those who affirmed you rather than the few (or even the one) who got under your skin. It’s been my experience that we too often let the few voices drown out the many. The opposition isn’t always as strong as they seem.
  2. Take the day off – or at least part of the day – and do something you enjoy doing. For me, that would mean taking a hike, shopping at a place like Dick’s Sporting Goods, reading a sports magazine, or hanging out with one of my mentees.
  3. Do what you’d tell another church leader to do. If someone else who had a bad Sunday came to you for ministry, what would you tell him or her to do? A tough Monday is a time to apply to your own life what you’d tell someone else to do. Follow your own advice.
  4. Read a few of your favorite Bible stories. I know that solution sounds like a basic Sunday school idea, but you may need to go back to something familiar and comforting. Let the stories that inspired you in the past inspire you again today.
  5. Hang out at a local favorite spot, and tell somebody about God’s blessings in your life. Go someplace where you know you’ll likely be in a conversation, and be sure to talk about God’s goodness. Re-focus your attention on His blessings as you witness to somebody else.
  6. Do what Jesus said to do: pray for those who mistreat you (Luke 6:28). Sometimes we don’t pray much at all when we’re frustrated; however, not only should we pray even more then, but we should also pray specifically for those who hurt us. God changes our heart as we pray for theirs.
  7. Love on your family today. Play with your preschool kids. Go to an amusement park with your teens. Call your adult children. Hang out with your grandkids. Take your spouse to dinner. Avoid secluding yourself in your frustration after a tough yesterday – make yourself enjoy the day with people you know adore you.

Let us hear how we might pray for you today.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published at chucklawless.com

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Chuck Lawless

Director of the Center for Preaching and Pastoral Leadership

Dr. Lawless currently serves as Senior Professor of Evangelism and Missions, Dean of Doctoral Studies, and Vice-President for Spiritual Formation at Southeastern Seminary, where he holds the Richard & Gina Headrick Chair of World Missions. In addition, he serves as Team Leader for Theological Education Strategists for the International Mission Board. Dr. Lawless served as pastor of two Ohio churches prior to joining the faculty of Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY, in 1996. He received a B.S. degree from Cumberland College (now the University of the Cumberlands) and M.Div. and Ph.D. degrees from Southern Seminary. He is the author or editor of twelve works, and he has contributed several chapters to other resources. He and his wife, Pam, have been married for more than 30 years, and they reside in Wake Forest with their Aussie Shepherd, Max.

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