When asked, it is fairly easy to come up with a list of ways in which being a pastor and a pastor’s family adds stress to the family. It is important to acknowledge this reality and develop ways to handle such stress. However, one needs to avoid developing a victim mentality and having a pity party.
One way to do that is to occasionally recognize the positive side of this equation. The design of such a discussion will differ depending on the ages of your family members.
If you have small children, you may want to make this conversation into a game. Play pastor’s family spin the bottle. Place a bottle in the middle of the family gathered in a circle. Spin the bottle and see who it points to. That person must tell the rest one of the good things about being in a pastor’s family. Then spin again and repeat the process. Each good answer gets a point and the first person to get 5 points gets to sit there while the other members prepare and serve him or her a special dessert.
Tomorrow, a design for families with older children.