If you accept that the profession of being a pastor is stressful on both the pastor and his or her family but also that you derive significant satisfaction from being a pastor, then you need to develop both personal and family strategies to interrupt the stressful pressures and celebrate the joys. The idea is to develop a set of resources that you can draw upon to interrupt the emotional strain of the pressures and reaffirm the positive attitude towards the life in the ministry. While it is valuable to have a series of strategies for yourself, it is important that your spouse knows of some of these strategies in case s/he is the first to recognize that the stress level is building up. It is also important to recognize that at times the pastor may be coping with the pressures fine but it is the family that is feeling the impact of the ministry in their own lives. Therefore you need to build two lists.
The first step would be to make the building of these lists a family affair. Depending on the age of your children, at least part of the time you should engage them in the process as well. Make the very development of the lists a fun experience. If it is the whole family, then you might want to have a picnic, even one in the house, and enjoy the conversation around this informal meal. If it is just you and your spouse, then you might want to have a night out at a special restaurant. The idea is that even the talking about and dreaming up possibilities can have a salutary effect. Anticipation builds good endorphins.
Next week I will suggest some possibilities as you develop your list, but for now, think about the fun of having the conversation with each other.
