Being In Politics Is Like Being In the Ministry

As I watched the inauguration of our new president and all the pageantry and ceremony that surrounds it, I was saddened by the boos and derisive shouts when President Bush was introduced. While I realize that many of the people in attendance were ardent President Obama supporters and saw President Bush as an opponent, this kind of disrespect was offensive and totally uncalled for. I think history will see the Bush presidency in a much different light than it was portrayed in the last presidential campaign and in the media. A lot of good has happened in the last 8 years, however, much of it has been lost in the hue and cry of those who disagree with the former president on some high profile issues.

Sadly, I'm not sure much has changed since the founding of our country. Kathy and I just finished watching a great 7 part series by HBO on the life of John Adams, our second president. For all the great things he did, he was treated very badly by his opponents, and lost a bid for a second term. Towards the end of his life, he questioned the value of his public service. He wondered if the sacrifices he and his family made for his country were worth it, in light of how he was treated and the things that were written about his in the newspapers of his day.

With all this in mind, I look at my own life, a full time career in ministry. My family and I have made sacrifices in order to provide the best possible ministry to the churches we have served. There have been wonderful "high moments", and fortunately, most of our experience has been good. But we have also had the "lowest of the low moments" as well. Christian opponents and enemies have got to be the worst. (Yes, I said Christian opponents and enemies, they are real)There has been more than one Monday when the only thing I wanted to do was start packing and move away. Fortunately, I've never done that. I did have a friend, however, who felt so mistreated and unwanted that one Monday he and his wife did pack and leave without telling anyone. When people came for the Wednesday night service and activities, the church was dark and so was the parsonage next door.

At times the political process is so antagonistic and the press so relentless, that there must be hundreds of broken people who have been sucked in, chewed up and spit out in the process of "winning". Sadly, I know too many ministers who have had this same experience. I wonder if we will ever live in a "kinder and gentler" atmosphere?