Dear Pastor, You Are Enough

by Rev. Dr. Rhonda Abbott-Blevins

Dear Pastor,

You are enough.

Yes, it’s been difficult this year. Your training to be a “non-anxious presence” has felt impotent in light of “presence” being severely limited this year. Your passion for forming the “Christ consciousness” in your people has been usurped by forming a “COVID consciousness” in them as you recognized your mandate to “do no harm.” You’ve made a million and one decisions this year. You still haven’t determined the best place to put the hand sanitizer stations. And that’s OK.

Remember this: there is no perfect place to put the hand sanitizer stations. There is no perfect sermon. There is no perfect pastoral care call. There is no perfect deacon’s meeting or worship service or to-do list. There is no perfect pastor. Your attempt to be the perfect pastor may be hubris at best, idolatry at worst.

So relax. Breathe deeply. Rest in the presence of the One you serve. Remember it’s not YOUR church, it’s God’s church. It’s not all on your shoulders. There are plenty of capable lay people who care as deeply about the church as you do. Let them use their gifts of leadership. Allow them to flourish in new ways that you can enjoy watching from the sidelines.

Do not be anxious about what the church will be after the season of COVID subsides. You have weathered all the previous transitions—some easier than others. You will weather this transition as well.

Take time to step away from the details, the minutia, and take the 30,000-foot view. From that altitude, you can see the sunrise sooner than those on the ground.

So keep on doing what you’re doing! It may not be ideal, but remember, perfection is illusory. It’s enough to be consistent, faithfully pointing people to a higher way, day after day, week after week, until the day of perfection arrives. It is enough.

So relax. Breathe deeply.

You are enough.