Counselors Reflect on Dangerous Calling by Paul Tripp
A Series to Care for the Care Takers of God’s People
“Yet being the man he thought he needed to be, working to be more publicly righteous than he actually was, was exhausting and burdensome.” Page 77
This particular quote by Tripp simply reminds me of how wearisome it is to try and keep up appearances pretending to be someone I’m not. One of the most challenging aspects of being Christian is living authentically. So much of our culture subliminally tells us to put up facades and to masquerade as smarter, prettier, stronger, hipper, more talented than we actually are. As much as being these things would be great, we actually have a deeper and stronger desire to be accepted as we are. All of us wanted to be loved and valued for who we are, and yet at the same time we are also trying to be someone other than that. We live conflicted and dissonant lives. The same is true for many pastors. Unfortunately, the God that actually tells them that in Christ they are free to be themselves instead think God is asking of them the same thing the world is.
When we attempt to live before God based upon false expectations of God we will eventually resent God. That exhaustion and burden our friend Joe was experiencing was a result in part of faulty thinking about himself and God. He believed the upkeep of his public persona provided the satisfaction and acceptance his soul needed that could only be filled by grace. Jesus encourages us to replace our yoke with his (Matt. 11:18). Our yoke he says is heavy. In this case the yoke of trying to do and be more than we are capable and able. We cannot bear that kind of burden. Christ offers a rest from our labors and heavy burdens, but it is one of our choosing. Christ will also say through his servant Paul that if we live by the law we will also die by it. That is to say that the rules, regulations, and religiosity we are intent on keeping are also the same things that we hang ourselves on because we realize we cannot keep them consistently and completely.
The gospel which is the good news that we have received grace because of Christ allows us to rest from others perceptions and opinions of us. It is a rest we must strive to enter into (Hebrews 4) through belief/faith that trusts what God has accomplished in us through his Son. Pastors, of all the things to strive for strive for rest.
Join us as we explore “Dangerous Calling” by Paul David Tripp.
www.bridgehavencounseling.org/dangerouscalling.
To order a copy of your own of Paul Tripp’s book click on the link below.
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Dangerous Calling: Confronting the Unique Challenges of Pastoral Ministry By Paul David Tripp / Crossway Books & Bibles |