I have heard this so many times in my ministry where people will tell me I need to take a break from church for a while. I seek to encourage them that taking a break from church should not be an answer for problems that they are encountering in the church or outside the church. The Lord encourages us to take a vacation and to have rest periods. This encouragement is for the rest from the burdens of work and ministry, and not from the worship or connection from the Lord. Even the 23rd Psalms that the Lord will make us lie down in green pastures to refresh ourselves with the beauty of God’s creation.
There are times that as a pastor you have those “Jeremiah 20” moments where Jeremiah was fed up with ministry and said that he doesn’t even want to mention the Lord’s name any more. Sometimes the work and worry of ministry becomes overwhelming where you have to take a break to revived your souls. Once again this is a break from the work but you should still WORSHIP!
If you feel like you have to take a few months off from work (service) and worship then there is a greater problem than just the weariness from the work.
But like Jeremiah, there are days you want to throw in the towel. But when you have been anointed and called to the work then you have no choice but to keep going even when you want to rest. When the disciples were told to break away but the multitude of people found them and they had needs, the Lord told them to “Give them something to eat.” Ministry is Major and the opportunity to serve doesn’t always come at the right time!
#dokechronicles
Great piece! I am one of those that “take a break” too. Sometimes my break is from the four-walls and rituals in the building and I find myself “going ye therefore” into the trenches… with the people ourside the church. Ministry requires restoration, but beyond the walls lies the work. Worship is abundantly effective… even in our personal time.