Thank You!
By Carolyn
Hulliberger
“And now, friends, we ask you to honor those leaders who work so hard
for you, who
have been given the responsibility of urging and guiding you along in your
obedience. Overwhelm
them with appreciation and love!”
1 Thessalonians
5:12-13 (The Message)
I
recently had an “Are You KIDDING Me?!!” moment while reading Scripture. In
Exodus 32, Moses, God’s original pastor to His people, has been meeting with
God for many days. The Israelites, getting restless without Moses there,
approach Moses’ brother and helper, Aaron, with an idea:
“When
the people realized that Moses was taking forever in coming down off the
mountain, they rallied around Aaron and said, “Do something. Make gods for us
who will lead us. That Moses, the man who got us out of Egypt—who knows what’s
happened to him?” (Exodus 32:1)
What
set me off when I read this were the words, “That Moses.” You mean that Moses
whom God called from a placid life of obscurity with a burning bush? That Moses
who, despite his own insecurity and fear for his life, approached Pharoah
multiple times, announcing plagues across Egypt? That Moses whom God spoke to
specifically and used to save your Israelite hide, leading you across the Red
Sea?
Moses
returns and is flabbergasted. Had they not learned anything? Even if something
had happened to him, why did they not see his example and seek God’s guidance?
After all that they had been through, the first thing the people choose to do
as soon as Moses is away is to melt a bunch of gold to make an idol to
worship?!
Where
I would have been tempted to walk away and watch God incinerate the whole bunch
of them, Moses humbly intercedes for the people (vv 31-32).
Pastors
and ministry directors everywhere have a seemingly impossible, and often
thankless, job. They are called by God to shepherd and serve. The job skills
called upon often range from administration to public speaking to building
maintenance. The hours are unpredictable. The stress is sometimes
off-the-charts unbelievable.
So
let’s stop to thank the pastors and spiritual influencers in our lives. Thank
you for the emails or cards that you were praying for me. Thank you for the
hospital visits. Thank you for showing grace when I complain. Thank you for the
missed sleep, date nights or kids’ events when a crisis happened in our
church.
And
for dozens of other things, large and small…Thank you!
GOING DEEPER:
1. October is Pastor Appreciation Month. Bless your pastor (or other special spiritual
influencer) today! Send a meal, give a
gift card, write a note, do their yard work, support them in prayer, but most
of all, take a moment to verbally affirm their work.
FURTHER READING:
Along
with caring for her husband and two children, Carolyn works as an insurance
representative, serves in Oakwood Church’s Student Ministries with an awesome
group of junior high girls, and is the treasurer for Women’s Ministries.
