Warning lights

In your car there are many warning lights that may flash depending on what is going on under the hood or even on the road ahead.

The warning lights may have to do with routine maintenance, obstacles on the road or even major mechanical faults and failures.

God gives us similar warning lights in regard to our personal health and well-being and even in regard to the ministries we serve in.

Personal warning lights might be obvious, like when the low fuel light comes on and you know that you need to fill up the tank.

The “low fuel” light for us personally might be that we flinch when we get a text or phone call because we just don’t think we have enough in the tank to deal with another complaint or difficult person/situation. “Low fuel” lights often are seen when we are extra tired, extra impatient and daydream often of our day off or of vacation.

Other warning lights aren’t as obvious because the cause of the issue could be any number of things.

When the check engine light comes on, it could be 100 different things that could possibly have triggered it.

In our personal life, we might feel a sudden pang of fear or an unsettledness in our spirit. We might find that we don’t have the same joy about ministry we once had or the same hope for the future. But determining the cause? That sometimes seems impossible.

Just like when you drop the car at the shop for diagnosis, sometimes it can take a few days just to determine the root cause and then a few more days for parts and a few more days to put it all together.

In your personal life, as a pastor, a Christian and a human, please recognize that diagnosing the warning lights in your life might take time. You might need to schedule some time in the prayer room or at a retreat center or perhaps in a cabin at the beach or in the woods. The time away is not just taking a break but instead should be about prayer, listening, resting and introspection.

Of course Sabbatical serves this purpose as well but only every so many years, so we probably also need to take time to do this at least once per year if not more frequently.

Our ministry assignments have their own warning lights that we also need to look into. These seem to be glaring but finding the root cause is not always so easy. Whether the warning light is in regard to losing volunteers or attendees or church conflict or a decline in giving and engagement, pay close attention when the warning lights appear because you can be sure God is at work to help you discern what is going on and what you need to do.

Pastor, my heart hurts for you when you face these obstacles and these alerts flash in your face. It can be nerve-wracking or even panic-inducing to try and sort out one more struggle in the midst of the hardships of life and ministry.

But this I know: when God brings it to your attention, He will also provide a way through it and He will offer what is necessary for you to overcome! He freely offers sufficient grace, heavenly wisdom, His Spirit of love, patience and compassion and He is able to bring new people alongside you to help you.

Please, don’t give up hope, but also don’t ignore the warning lights. If you address them, with God’s help, you can be assured there is health, healing, wholeness and fruitfulness on the other side!

(PS please reach out to godly people who can help you diagnose and treat the root causes in your personal life and ministry. Whether it is a pastor, counselor, doctor or ministry consultant, or even some godly parishioners in your own church, don’t try to do it alone. God has people around who can and will help you!)