Sometimes my counselling sessions, for weeks at a time, have all of them been "serious", and not seldom have included extreme language. A continual "tension" of ministry is that one may walk out of such situations, straight into situations of great sensitivity and felicity -- and vice versa. I am sometimes caught by surprise -- in both directions. Sometimes I walk into a serious situation not being quite ready for the assault. Sometimes I walk into a gentle situation, not having adjusted myself from the battle that went before. OBSERVATION: It comes to me in a picture. I had dealt with some extreme situations, then a husband asked me to speak to his wife, a sensitive soul. She put her hands to her face and peeped through her fingers.
3 comments:
This constant 'changing of gears' is something that I struggle with. But I don't think one can learn to handle it except by living through it. I don't think seminary can prepare one for it!
Particularly in urban ministry, one is dealing with such a heterogeneous population, some people very hardened, others who will wither with one look. and in the space not many minutes sometimes, one can move from one situation to another -- or from a "thunderous" situation to a light-hearted one and vice versa.
Hey Jenny and Thomas,
I thought this was one of your best posts to date. It's a truth I've experiance but not articulated or considered before. I think you should continue to ponder it and expand your thinking on it in the future.
Post a Comment