A RANGER IS MENTALLY ALERT The first Blue Point of the Rangers Code and Emblem is ALERT – A Ranger is MENTALLY, physically and spiritually alert. As leaders, we should always be alert to what is happening around us – to use wisdom in making good decisions in daily living, to how we can contribute to the work of the kingdom of God, to the needs of others, to our own needs. As leaders, it is in our nature to give out for the sake of others and yet neglect our own needs. When I was a children’s pastor, my responsibility was to develop ministries and develop leadership teams to ensure those ministries were building people mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially with the ultimate goal of providing the opportunity for young people (in my case from birth – 17 years) and their parents to come into relationship with Jesus Christ. With oversight over a number of ministries targeting specific groups and needs, plus running outreach programs in two primary schools, I had the best job ever. I really enjoyed what I did and after each interaction with young people, I was pumped with excitement. In a matter of just a few years, life became very hard. While I still loved my family, life as a whole was a struggle. The things I did earlier that were exciting were no longer enjoyable like they used to be, some were even just plain hard to do. Even family life was sometime hard. I masked it as best I could because I was a pastor. No one knew except for my wife. After many, many months of feeling that everything was working against me and fearing that I was in depression, I went and sought professional help. My wife accompanied me to a series of sessions with a professional counselor who is also a medical doctor. An added blessing was that he had spent a period of time in paid ministry as a pastor. This gave him a holistic understanding of how I was feeling. After a few months, I began to make progress back to normality. Problems and pressures still existed, but they were not impossible to deal with anymore. This week our news has been filled with reports about the death of Robin Williams, an admired actor and comedian. Like so many others, his ability to make people laugh meant that no one really knew what was happening within – a battle with depression. If you are dealing with depression, please seek professional help now. It is not lack of faith to seek professional help and pray for God to give you release at the same time. If you notice behaviours in your young people that might indicate depression, speak with your pastor to seek their counsel of a course of action. It is best to make a wrong judgment than to leave it and have it get worse. For information or counseling options, speak to your pastor who can connect you with a reputable counselor or contact: Lifeline 13 11 14 The Salvation Army 1300 363 622 God be with you, - Ps Sean Godfrey
Posted on: Thu, 14 Aug 2014 07:48:39 +0000
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