Dear Pastor,
I wanted you to know that you are loved and you are appreciated. Every day you get up and quietly go about the business of taking care of your church family. You are their pastor and you are their leader. People are following you because they know that you are following Jesus and they can honestly say that if they can be more like you then they will be more like Jesus.
But, people know that there may be times when you wonder whether anything you are doing is making a difference in people's lives and you wonder whether anyone really sees what you are doing. It can be very difficult as you minister to your church family and to your community.
Sometimes, the way can be discouraging. The long, and sometimes lonely, hours that are necessary to prepare to preach, along with the pressure of everyone expecting you to "hit a home run" every time you come up to the “batter’s box”. There are those days and nights that you spend at the hospital ministering to both the physical and spiritual needs of those who are hurting. There are the countless numbers of hours spent counseling, trying to come up with answers to help those who are hurting emotionally and spiritually.
Then, there are all of the meetings you have to attend and you are expected to minister to those in your community who don't go to your church but go to another church or they don't even go to church at all.
People know that there are times when you even have to neglect your own family for the critical needs of people in your church; those situations when you just can't say "no" to someone who needs your counsel, support, and a shoulder to cry on.
And, it’s entirely possible that you might be discouraged because you haven't seen your church grow like you thought it would. You are working hard, maybe harder than you have ever worked before. And, you wonder, at times, if it is worth it all and you wonder whether anyone really sees what you are doing or would anyone even notice if you just stopped……..sometimes, it may even feel like you are invisible to God.
You cry out, "God, what is wrong? What is wrong with my church? What is wrong with me? God, what is wrong with You? Can't you see that my heart is breaking over the spiritual condition of those I minister to? I keep investing my life in their spiritual, emotional, and physical needs. But, it seems, sometimes, like nothing ever changes! No one even says, ‘Thank you for your hard work and dedication.’ No one says, ‘Thank you for your many hours of sacrifice to help us in our walk with God.’ ”
Pastor, perhaps you have even said, "God, if something doesn't change in my ministry, I'm just gonna quit! I can't take it anymore. Nothing I do seems to make a difference. I’m not sure if anybody really cares about what I am doing. I’m not even sure if anybody really cares about the things that matter to You. It seems, at times, as though the only thing that matters to people is their physical needs and wants. Why aren’t they concerned about the spiritual needs in their lives?"
But, there you are, every day as pastor, teacher, counselor, and friend. You are the one who gives a compass to point the way for unsure feet. You are the one who is patient with those who often go astray. You are the one who gives guidance on how get to going in the right direction.
Sometimes, it might seem like people don’t notice how hard you work or how much you care but that’s not really how it is. Everything you do and every word you say makes an impact upon countless numbers of hearts.
Too often, though, they don’t tell you how much they appreciate you. But, part of the reason may be that they can’t find the right words to say it because they love you and appreciate you so much. Words just don’t seem to express what is deep within their hearts about how much you mean to them.
On behalf of your church family, please know of their admiration of you and please know that they look up to you. You are their shining light in a cold and dark world. You are their encourager when they feel like giving up in the face of dark and lonely days of the trials in their lives. They know that when they come to you, that you will help them look at their situations with a different perspective and you will encourage them by telling them that they can make it with God’s help.
Thank you, beloved pastor, for all that you do! You are making a difference in their lives and, as a result, you are making significant contributions in the kingdom of God.
In closing, though words sometimes are inadequate, what is written below describes a little of who you are as pastor:
“Can you imagine a place where to be great you must be a servant? Where the qualification to be first is to be last? Where the mighty are defined by their meekness? Where the richest are those who have given the most away? There is such a place and it is the kingdom of God.
The real heroes in God's kingdom are those who are ordinary, everyday people who have learned the secret of giving away things that they cannot keep in return for things they cannot lose.
Most of their major contributions to the kingdom of God have gone unnoticed. Their contributions have taken place in the everyday experiences of life: countless acts of love, support, and confirmation that have eternal significance in God's eyes.
Only heaven will be able to show the significance of their efforts and give credence to the belief that little is much when God is in it.”
