13/06/2026
THE PAIN BENEATH THE SUIT
Many admire the suit but never ask about the scars beneath it.
Ministry has made me cry many times, but today's tears were different. They were not tears from the eyes; they were blood flowing from the heart. There are wounds that no bandage can cover and pains that no smile can conceal.
There is a proverb that says: "The man carrying the co**se knows where the body is heaviest." Many see the pulpit, but few see the burden. Many hear the sermon, but few hear the silent groans behind the message.
What hurts most is not the attack from enemies; it is the disappointment from those who stand close enough to help but choose excuses over responsibility.
What breaks a shepherd's heart faster than a wolf?
It is the sheep that wander carelessly while pretending to follow.
"The drum sounds loudly during celebration, but when it tears, nobody hears its cry."
I understand that men are chasing their daily bread. Ministry may not pay bills. Responsibilities are real. Pressures are genuine. But accountability remains a sacred covenant. A position is not a decoration; it is a responsibility.
What pains the heart is not inability, it is indifference.
How do you watch a gap destroy a system and offer excuses as a sacrifice? How do you leave a leader in limbo when a simple conversation could have created room for alternative measures?
"The house does not collapse in one day; it first develops unseen cracks."
Those cracks are often called negligence, silence, and flimsy excuses.
People think pastors only preach.
No.
Pastors bleed.
Pastors cry.
Pastors fight battles they cannot announce.
Pastors wrestle with disappointments they cannot post.
Pastors swallow frustrations that would make ordinary men quit.
Sometimes we kneel to pray and rise carrying burdens that are not ours. Sometimes we smile before a congregation while our hearts are drowning in sorrow. Sometimes we encourage others while secretly begging God for strength not to give up.
The tree that provides shade must endure the heat of the sun.
So we continue.
We may bend, but we will not break.
We may bleed, but we will not retreat.
We may cry, but we will not surrender.
For if our Master endured betrayal from a kiss, abandonment from friends, rejection from His own, and still carried His cross to the finish line, then we have no option but to press on.
Jesus never gave up.
Therefore, neither will we.
The tears may fall tonight, but the assignment remains.
The heart may ache, but the mission continues.
The suit may hide the pain, but grace will carry the man.
And by the help of God, we will fight to the very end.
However don’t be the reason we cry and see ministry as a burden!
