Blog
Ministry is complicated because love is costly.
You love your people.
Let’s just start there.
You wouldn’t be pastoring, shepherding, discipling, preaching, praying, counseling, leading, or answering late-night “Do you have a minute?” texts even if you didn’t.
But love does not cancel out humanity.
And churches are full of it.
People are quirky.
People are emotional.
People are inconsistent.
People are growing, and the growth is rarely symmetrical or convenient.
And shepherding real humans (not the beautifully edited versions we imagine when planning sermons) takes grace, patience, humor, and more coffee than one body should safely consume.
But this week, I want to help you see your people again the way Jesus sees them.
Not as:
- Responsibilities
- Energy-drains
- Problems-to-solve
- Schedules-to-manage
- Needs-to-meet
- Or chaos-with-names
But as:
- Souls
- Image-bearers
- Walking testimonies
- People God loves just as deeply as He loves you
Even the dramatic ones.
Especially the dramatic ones.
Let’s Start in the Real World
It’s Sunday.
You step into the lobby, and you know within 14 seconds how the morning is going to go based on:
- Who’s standing where
- The energy in the hallway
- The tone of the greetings
- The look on your worship leader’s face
Someone is emotional.
Someone is offended.
Someone didn’t print what needed to be printed.
Someone has
feedback for you and they haven’t even heard the sermon yet.
Meanwhile, three people are genuinely excited to be there, two are quietly suffering, a handful are serving faithfully without any spotlight, and one is wearing a shirt with wolves howling at the moon for reasons unknown to all of us.
This is your flock.
Your people.
Your assignment.
Your joy.
And yes, sometimes your sanctification.
But Here’s the Kind Truth:
People aren’t hard because they mean to be.
People are hard because they’re
human.
And ministry isn’t complicated because people are dramatic.
Ministry is complicated because love is costly.
This is the real pastoral tension:
- You love them deeply.
- They stretch you deeply.
- Some weeks you are overflowing with compassion.
- Some weeks you are praying, “Lord, please take the wheel. Immediately.”
Both can be true.
At the same time.
And God is not disappointed in you for feeling the weight.
Seeing Them Again Through Gratitude
Gratitude doesn’t mean pretending everyone is easy to love.
Gratitude simply means remembering what God is doing in them.
Even the ones who push your patience:
They are growing, just not always in the areas that would be most convenient.
Even the ones who don’t show up consistently:
They
are here.
That means something.
It means God is working.
Even the ones who hurt you with their words:
Most of the time, pain leaks out of people who haven’t learned what to do with their wounds yet.
They’re not your enemy.
They’re
your healing assignment
and sometimes your mirror.
Even the ones who feel like an interruption:
Sometimes interruptions are the ministry.
Jesus did most of His miracles while on His way somewhere else.
A Simple, Honest Reframe for This Week
When frustration rises, quietly try this prayer:
“Lord, help me see who they are becoming, not just who they are today.”
Because:
- People are in process.
- Sanctification is slow.
- Transformation is often invisible while it is happening.
Your gentleness may be part of the miracle.
Let’s Talk About the Ones Who Are Easy to Miss
There are always people in your church who:
- Never cause trouble
- Never need attention
- Never need recognition
- Never ask for anything
- Never complain
- Never quit
And they’re so steady…
that they get overlooked.
These people are the bones of your ministry.
Quiet presence is one of the holiest forms of service the Church has.
This week:
- See them.
- Name what they carry.
- Thank God for them.
Even a simple text:
- “Hey, I just want you to know I’m grateful for you.”
will do more than you think.
Steady people don’t need applause but they deeply feel encouragement.
And Then There Are the Ones Who Stretch You
Let’s honor this truth:
Some people are hard to love.
Some seasons are heavy.
Some personalities are…
character-building.
But here’s the gospel reality:
The hardest people to love often need the most love.
Not more instruction.
Not more analysis.
Not more distance.
Just presence.
Soft strength.
Patient compassion.
This is not weakness.
This is spiritual maturity.
A Pastoral Heart Check-In
Ask yourself gently:
- When did I last laugh
with my people?
- When did I last feel joy in being among them?
- When did I last choose compassion instead of efficiency?
- Where have I stopped seeing the image of God because I’ve been exhausted?
These questions aren’t for guilt.
They’re for
reconnection.
Encouragement
Your people are not perfect.
They’re not supposed to be.
They are being shaped.
Formed.
Refined.
Grown.
And you’re part of that story.
But you’re not the author.
You’re not the potter.
You’re not the source.
You are a shepherd learning to love the flock
while the Good Shepherd is loving
you.
Let gratitude soften your eyes again.
Let compassion return where fatigue settled in.
Let laughter come back into the room.
Let joy slip in through the cracks.
These people are a gift
not because they are easy,
but because they’re
yours.
And we are thankful for you for how you love them even when it costs something.
