When I first went into pastoral ministry, I was pretty certain things were going to go well in my church because of all I brought to the table. I would preach, and they would respond as they did to men from the past like Charles Spurgeon or Billy Graham. I would counsel, and the people would see that I was wise beyond my years. There would be conflict in the church, but my abilities as a diplomat would help everyone to reconcile. Many years later, I call that my “fictional church,” because it never existed and never could exist.

Problem was, I was blind to those unreasonable self-expectations. I was blind to the fact that I needed to make changes slowly, that all those degrees to the right of my name didn’t mean I was godly or competent, that ministry would be so hard I would be tempted to quit, that I was still a saved sinner in the middle of his sanctification. I needed God to open my eyes to those blind spots, and that would only happen through learning from my mistakes. It would only happen through experience. I would only see them as God put in my path veteran pastors who had been in the trenches and had the eyes to show me things I couldn’t see about myself.

In his excellent article, “3 Blind Spots of the Young Christian Leader,” Steve Bang Lee help awakens young ministers. I encourage you to read the whole thing and realize that you’re going to need much help, much grace, and much humility to endure for the long haul in local church ministry.