Ten emotionally healthy thoughts for church leaders:
- I want more for people than from people.
- I will obey God and take what He gives me: that’s enough.
- I do not need to be recognized, celebrated or rewarded.
- Only God measures my life and leadership accurately.
- I can only do what I can do — and I will do it.
- I will serve the person in front of me.
- God is still in control even when I am not (which is most of the time).
- If I honor God, He will honor me in His time and in His way.
- I choose to find the good.
- I cannot make everyone happy, but I can choose to be happy.
Some context for this list:
- Let me start with a confession: thinking this way does not come easily to me. Unhealthy thoughts appear in my head all the time without warning. Choosing to think healthy thoughts is a discipline.
- I use these statements as a self-arresting tool. When I find myself operating from an unhealthy perspective, I’ll repeat the statement to myself until I return to a place of health.
- Sometimes these statements are convictions. Sometimes they are prefaced with the prayer, “God, help me believe this.”
- As I’ve practiced thinking this way, my brain and heart now default toward health. But I can never let down my guard.
- Here’s a suggestion for how to start using this list: pick one thought, and repeat it to yourself throughout the day. Let it soak in. Ask God to help you live your day with that perspective.