II Corinthians 11:16-12:10
And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. (v. 28) Although Paul is a traveling missionary (with occasional longer stays) he is speaking here very much like a pastor. I have gotten to know a number of pastors well in office visits, over lunch/coffee, whatever. And in these smaller one-on-one sessions I have often heard of their disappointments, their frustrations, occasionally their anger over events in the church or in their parishioners’ lives. They feel for their parish, for their individual parishioners. It’s a burden they carry that they occasionally need to unload. Every pastor whom I have gotten to know has himself his own “spiritual leader” or pastor colleagues, people with whom he can share these disappointments, frustrations, angers. Being a pastor means carrying a burden not too easily carried alone! We need to pray for our pastors!
See also: June 4 / II Cor. 11:16-33; June 5 / II Cor. 12:1-13
My dad was an Episcopal minister and dealt with many of those anxieties, especially later in life. He had a standing lunch at “the Club” (Wendy’s) every Friday with his best friend from seminary, also a minister in Houston. He protected this time like his life depended on it, and it possibly did.
I was struck by v 30 about IF we must boast, boast in our weakness. Only on things we cannot do on our own, that only God can do for or through us. Look what God has done today!