Let Downs
When I meet other Pastors and Church Leaders, I love asking them questions. And, I’ll admit, my favorite
questions are for them who are older than myself and have more experience than I do. I feel it’s
important for Leaders from diverse backgrounds and generations to connect. It’s from this heart that, a
few weeks ago, I wrote an article about the generational differences in leaders. To me, why shouldn’t I
glean from someone who is not only on a similar journey as me but has been through experiences on that
journey that I could learn from? And my first question is always the same: ”If you can go back to 41
years old in ministry, what is one thing you would tell yourself?” I thirst for that kind of perspective. I
want an “iron sharpening iron” moment. And one recent Sunday night was another moment for me.
After an evening prayer service, I met the father of one of our attendees. He’s a pastor from a town about
30 miles away. And when she introduced her father to me and said that he was a pastor, the question
came out of my mouth: “If you can go back to 41 years old in ministry, what is one thing you would tell
yourself?” He pondered for just a few seconds, and then he said three words:
“Beware of disappointments.” These three words consumed my mind for the next 48 hours. I’ve talked
with my wife about them. The following Monday, I brought it up to a bunch of pastors friends I meet
with regularly. What a simple yet extremely deep thought to a very open question. I want you to note:
He didn’t say keep yourself from disappointments; just have an awareness of them. There’s a big
difference.
I don’t think it’s humanly possible to live, let alone do ministry, without experiencing disappointments.
People disappoint me. My wife disappoints me. I disappoint me. If I were really honest with you, I’ve even
been disappointed in God (this usually happens when God hasn’t done what I think he should do).
Just a few weeks ago,my wife and I were wrapping up a seminar with some Q&A from the group,and the
question came up: “How do I avoid disappointments?” My answer was simple: “It’s impossible.” Why? You
can’t keep yourself from experiencing disappointment, but you can guard your
heart during disappointment.
Disappointments are not always the results of sin, but often a natural experience in our human journey.
I’m not trying to develop a pessimistic perspective but a hopeful attitude and fruitful viewpoint of
navigating through them. And it begins with what Solomon writes in Proverbs 4:23: “Guard your
heart.” The heart, in Hebrew writings, wasn’t the place of emotions, but the seat of the mind and will. In
today’s society, we’d say, “Guard and protect your thoughts.” So the question really is: How do we, as
pastors and church leaders, protect our thoughts through this very normal human experience? Here are
five truths that will help you guard your heart.
1. Disappointments ≠ Failure
First off, failure is disappointing. I can’t say I enjoy failure and look forward to the next one. But not all
disappointments equate to a failure on your part. I meet far too many people who immediately connect a
disappointment to a personal failure. Actually, I’m one of those persons. Sometimes our unrealistic
expectations set us up for the fall. Other times, our definition of “success” needs to be redefined so that
we can see the “win” in what we accomplished instead of being blinded by the disappointment we just
experienced.
2. Disappointment can be a very good thing.
One of the best ways to guard our hearts during disappointment is to learn a perspective of
disappointment. Instead of looking to beat yourself up with self-hate or self-loathing, step into a place
where you’re looking to learn.
Every disappointment I engage in is an invitation to grow. Whether it’s personal or pastoral, having a
healthy approach and asking, “How can I grow?” isn’t shrugging off the issue, or making light of it, but