PASTORS ARE PEOPLE
by Helen Frazee-Boiver
I N my many years of Christian ex perience I have received the gos pel from the lips of many men of God — some brilliant, who spoke with great eloquence; some humble, who spoke with great simplicity. From each I received a blessing. In fact I can say, in all honesty, that almost never have I gone to the House of God and come away empty. Part of the reason for this may have been that, like the lame man at the gate called Beautiful, I looked on these men “expecting to receive” something. But mostly because God honors His Word wherever and whenever it is preached in sincerity and truth. Jesus said, “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” And He does. Any man called of God to preach the gospel has been chosen for the most exalted position this world has to offer. It is certainly with no thought of detracting from the hon or of their position that I make the statement, “pastors are people.” The words are not meant to convey the thought that they are merely people, but rather that they too are people. Pastors are people! They have feelings. Few of us would think of criticizing a fellow member of the congregation for the way his wife dresses, or his children behave, but we seem to think it is our business to keep an eye on the pastor’s family. Did you ever head, “Why are preach ers’ children always the worst?” The answer, of course, is that they are not. It is only that more people ob serve them. Ministers are public ser vants; but their families are not public property. It is true that “a city that is set upon a hill cannot be hid,” but that is no reason for throwing stones at it. What would be considered rudeness, if spoken of
anyone else, is sometimes said of the pastor’s family, with an actual sense of having fulfilled a righteous obli gation ! Pastors are people! They get tired. They have physical limitations. It is no easier for them to work constant ly than for any other human being. Even Jesus became weary; else why was He asleep on a pillow during the storm at sea? How prone we are to ask of the pastor, “Where were you when I was sick?” as though we were the only people he had to look after! Our individual troubles are not unique to the pastor: they are part of a long succession of similar expe riences covering the entire congre gation. No matter how much one may long to do for others, human strength cannot be stretched beyond a certain limit; there is a breaking point for all men. One of the finest sermons I ever listen ed to was preached by a pastor who had been up all night with a dying man. Un doubtedly his message was enriched by this experience. Nevertheless, his life was shortened because he spent his strength too freely for his people. Because few pastors will share them selves when they feel they are need ed, it becomes the obligation of the congregation not to make thought less demands upon them. Pastors are people! They make mistakes. Just because a man is called of God to preach the gospel, he is not necessarily placed beyond the possibility of making human erors. The Scriptures say that we shall be like Jesus — “when we shall see Him as He is.” But until that time, we are in the flesh and are heirs to the weakness of the flesh. All of us are capable of mak ing wrong choices, unwise decisions,
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