Discovering loneliness in ministry.
A minister is like a pond. There is an influx of fresh water as well as trash and organisms. And there is an outflow. All are necessary.
Balancing these is key to combatting loneliness and stagnancy.
“The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy.” —Proverbs 14:10
“I looked for pity, but there was none, and for comforters, but I found none.” —Psalm 69:20
“miserable comforters” (Job 16:2)
“Have I then become your enemy by telling you the truth?” —Galatians 4:16
Jeremiah 20:7–9
John 15:18–20
God knows our thoughts before we express them— Psalm 139:1–4 The Spirit intercedes through “groanings too deep for words”— Romans 8:26–27 Christ sympathizes with human weakness— Hebrews 4:15–16
speak honestly and to test our beliefs carefully (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Human loneliness comes from being unseen, misunderstood, or rejected; but God knows the person completely, even where words and human fellowship fail.