LEADERSHIP REALLY MATTERS
ANNE BOSARGE
REV. JAY HANSON
Anyone who has been in ministry for much time at all has likely experienced their share of failure – or at least what felt like failure. Lately, I (Jay) have been feeling like a failure and I am finding real value in embracing those feelings.
Stay with me for a moment. Feelings are not always accurately connected to facts. It is possible to have feelings that are not supported by facts at all, but that doesn’t negate the feelings. I can intellectually rationalize what I am experiencing and explain away the painful emotions. I can pump myself up to press on and not give up by saying the final whistle hasn’t blown and there is still time to snatch victory out of defeat.
But God is doing something in me. I feel like I have failed in all the things that matter most. This may sound crazy, but what I am hearing God say to me is, “Yep, you failed, but it doesn’t really matter. I don’t love you any less. Your failure is not going to cause any problems with my plans. In fact, your striving has only gotten in the way. Now that you know you have failed, stop and watch what I am going to do.”
These are hard times. Ministry is painful. Life is painful. Perhaps there are others out there who also feel like they have failed or are failing in things that mattered deeply. If so, please know that God loves you and, while facing our failures is painful, our failings are not disrupting God’s plan at all.
Jay Hanson, Director of Congregational Development and Lead Pastor of The Chapel Ministries, and Anne Bosarge, Associate Director of Congregational Development and Campus Pastor of The Chapel Online, serve at The Chapel Ministries. They love sharing about the ways God is moving in their church. Contact them at jay@thechapelministries.com and anne@thechapelministries.com.
