In my attempts to season my own firewood, I have made the mistake of storing those freshly cut logs in the wrong place and in the wrong way.
At the touch of cold in the fall breeze, I have grabbed logs to bring into the house and found them wet with mushrooms and rank with rot. No roaring fire.
While writing Faith Without Illusions, I discovered that fellow ministers were often on my heart while thinking about disillusionment and cynicism in the church.
Continual exposure to the ecclesial elements can leave us sour and rotten. But that exposure can also leave us seasoned; that is, strengthened by the course of experience and time.
It is okay for a minister to be weathered. There is surely no way a faithful minister can withstand the demands and frustrations (and joys!) of his or her vocation without some degree of scarring. But those demands and frustrations can poison us so gradually that our slow decay is barely perceptible.
So…are you decaying or maturing?
Admittedly, all metaphors have their weaknesses. I think this one is useful, but I would love to hear your thoughts:
Any counsel on how we can come out of the pastoral vocation as “seasoned” as opposed to “rotten”?
What conditions induce decay in ministry? What conditions promote a healthy maturation?
