Bless you, Lwb! I can't begin to tell you how encouraging your words are to me. I consider myself lucky and blessed to count you as a friend, even if we've only ever met over the ether.
And you're absolutely right. Your words underscore exactly the message I just was listening to on Focus on the Family -- even clergy can get depression and suffer from the stress of over-work. Even when they love what they do, they can still get burned out and suffer all sorts of health problems. Rev. Tommy Nelson, who has a ministry concerning depression, having suffered a nervous breakdown while doing what he loves, said that the collapse of our emotions and our physiologies under the pressures of life is not a reflection on one's faith.
Just as you stated, Lwb.
I took the boys to church this morning. We were greeted by one of S7's teenage counselors in his YMCA after school program. Until then we didn't know she went to the same church. In her presence S7 was just beaming (a crush maybe?)
S3 no longer goes to nursery school -- he's a "big boy" now and goes to the sanctuary with me for the first part of the church service, then to Children's Church with his peers. He's growing up so fast.
Meanwhile S7 is no longer in Children's Church -- he's graduated to Sunday School with the 2cnd and 3rd graders. He got his own student bible today -- he was so proud. And I was proud of him too. I let S7 know what a great milestone this is for him.
