Okay, so I haven't posted in almost two months. Mostly that's because I've been insanely busy, but it's also partly because I haven't been inspired to write until today. Well, no more.
Here's the thing. In seminary, we're taught boundaries. Keep your distance. Don't let it become personal. In fact, the whole CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education) process is designed to help you know "where your buttons are" so you know how to "shield them", so that your "ministry with people in crisis" isn't "negatively affected" by having those buttons pushed.
But here's the thing. It IS personal. It's always personal. When you are sitting with a person whose spouse is dying, it's personal. Even if it's not personal for you, it's damn sure personal for them. When you're talking to someone who is camped out in the valley of the shadow of death, it's personal. When you walk into an ICU, or an funeral home, or a living room, it's personal. Whether you knew the person or not, whether they were eight or eighty, whether they were Mother Theresa or the Marquis de Sade, it's personal. It's personal to them, it's personal to the people who love them (even if you can't figure out why), and it's personal to Jesus. If you're wearing the collar, daring to be called pastor, it damned sure better be personal to you, too.
If it's ever NOT personal, you need to ask yourself why, and you need to think about that.
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So, it's interesting that you write this, and I read it now; I am currently working with my councilor on figuring out my boundaries and the points where my passion for justice becomes "too personal" (my words, not his) and I get overwhelmed.
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