More Than A River In Egypt

"Da-Nile" or "Denial"???

"Da-Nile" is more than a river in Egypt. Denial is a river that runs through most of our lives at some time or another. For some of us it is a constant flow with very little life. There have been several stages of denial in my life, but no matter how long I decide I want to swim in my stench, sooner or later I see the consuming (wet or dry) monster for what it is. Let's face it, Oranges are Oranges, Apples are Apples and Banana's are Banana's! No matter what kind of "Make up" or "Make Believe" we put on, denial isn't hard to see through. Unfortunately we are always the last ones to see through our own denial.


Yesterday I had a breakthrough. In years past I worked for a very heartbreaking ministry. At first it was a joy to be involved, but as years past the weight of sorrow and the power of politics (yes, politics in ministry if you can imagine that) took my eyes off of Jesus. I never meant for it to happen. As a matter of fact, until the very end I didn't even know it was happening. But it did. Yesterday I was speaking with the person who now holds my old position. The talk was great. To see his heart and the fire that burned deep within him reminded me of myself. He asked me about my struggles and surprisingly I was quite candid with him. For the first time ever, I heard myself admit things that I held deep within my soul. For the first time, I peeled back my heart to show someone else that I was indeed a banana.
I bet if more pastors where transparent enough to reveal what's underneath we would see the denial in the church all but dry up. Yet, most pastors fear the transparent because of all the crocodiles that come out of the wood work to bit and devour the wounded. We pastors run along the river banks running in packs trying to protect each other from the crocs. All the while, WE ARE RUNNING THE BANKS OF "DA-NILE". 

Yesterday was a breath of fresh air. In all the boast of ministry, we as pastors get hurt, burned out, tired and discouraged. It's amazing the amount of pastors that find Sunday night or Monday the most depressing days of the week. Just when everyone thought that pastors had it all together... we struggle like anyone else. If we're not careful we will find ourselves drowning in the depths of denial with crocs just waiting for us to run out of strength so that we become their next meal. Hey Banana.... YOU'RE A BANANA! Deal with it.