How Mourning Changes our View of Others

In the Preaching Ministry people sometimes refer to a “pastor’s heart.”  Sometimes this term is merely a synonym for a “caring heart”, but it may also suggests a pastor has experienced the personal wounds of sin and loss and has the ability to connect with those going through the same on a deeper level.  In turn, as he walks through the valley of despair with others he gains insight into suffering through their journey and grows in compassion.

It has been my observation, however, that this so-called “pastor’s heart” is not exclusive to those who have been formally trained in ministry.  Perhaps people have grown accustomed to using the term because it helps them divide us preacher types into those who seem aloof or controlling and those who sincerely care about people.  Yet, I have found the “pastor’s heart” in many contexts.

Several years ago I performed a funeral for a deputy sheriff who helped manage a local jail.  He worked closely with inmates who were trying to prepare for life after their release and cared enough to connect with them on the outside to see how they were doing.  My deputy friend had a “pastor’s heart.”  I know a school teacher who gives her children personal books to take home and goes out of her way to make sure her less fortunate students have the supplies they need.  She has a “pastor’s heart.”

Maybe you have a “pastor’s heart” too.  Has Satan ever tried to destroy you with a personal sin that had to be removed through a painful process of self-evaluation and conviction?  If so, then you understand how much others hurt when they reap what they sow.  Do you know what it means to live in the dark pit of depression and come to a place where you don’t care whether you live or die?   Then you can show patience to those who seem stuck and have lost the desire to take positive steps for their own welfare.