20 LESSONS IN 20 YEARS: LESSON 2

I have had the privilege of serving God, in ministry, for more than 20 years. Along the way, I have learned many lessons; and I am taking some time to recall them here. I am writing this mostly for myself, to remind me of what God has taught me; and to continue in them. I would also love to be an encouragement to others in ministry, at some point in the future. I don't have these in order or even a set list. No doubt there are many more lessons learned; and some I have already forgotten. But these are the ones God brings to mind as I consider them.

Lesson 2: I have learned to be transparent
This is not easy: to be honest and transparent with others as we serve as pastors. I do think it is vitally important, but I realize many in ministry would heartily disagree with this. I can't convince them that this is an important thing; but I can share why it is an important lesson I have learned and am learning.

The tendency, as a pastor, is to be outspoken about how others need to grow; but to be very careful not to show how weak and sinful and desperate he actually is. It is tempting to only give stories about myself that are flattering and where I did the right thing. It can be a fearful thing to be completely honest and transparent, because people might not like me, might think bad things about me; and worse yet, might think I should no longer be their pastor. I have experienced all of those responses.
It is against human nature to talk about what our lives are really like.

But, I have learned, that it is through transparency and honesty, that I remain humble and people are not as likely to put me on a dangerous pedestal. They realize that although I have a different role than they do, I am just like them in my sin struggles. I have found that those who are also desperate for God find comfort, strength and help when their pastor is also willing to admit how desperate he is. I admit: it has been uncomfortable for me, and I realize there needs to be wisdom as to what exactly to share with whom and when. But, instead of making excuses for why I shouldn't share, or what might happen that seems negative, I have learned to pray, and then share what details I think God would want me to share.

I remember, in a previous ministry, when I preached through the Ten Commandments, I preached an introductory message: "How I broke all 10 Commandments". My intention was not to "brag" in any way, but to humbly admit, that in the technical sense, or in Jesus' viewpoint of them, I had broken every commandment. And if you know what the commandments are, then you can understand why that could have been uncomfortable. But, in explaining my failures, it helped all us (except for those who chose to focus on my sins) to realize just how real these commands are even today; and how we all can be tempted to break any or all of them. It ended up being one of my most enjoyable and effective message series; but it all began, I believe, with transparency and honesty.

Now, don't think that I never fail in this...I do. But, it is my desire, after wrestling with this issue for 20 years, to keep sharing the reality of my life with the people of God in this place. One way I attempt to do this each week, is to make sure before I communicate and apply God's Word to others, that I apply that same message to my life. I want the message to be an overflow of what God is doing in my heart before I tell others; and part of that is sharing, along the way, what God is teaching me.