08/29/2026
From an unknown Pastor:
**YOU SEE SUNDAY. BUT DO YOU SEE THE REST OF THE WEEK?**
Sometimes I wonder if the people I serve really understand what it takes to be their pastor.
**5:00 AM** — I’m awake praying. Not just for myself, but for *you*. Your children. Your marriage. Your health. Your job. Your grief. Your future.
**6:00 AM** — I’m in the Word. Before I can preach to anybody else, I have to let God preach to me.
**7:30 AM** — The phone starts ringing. Somebody needs prayer. Somebody is in the hospital. Somebody’s family is falling apart. Somebody just needs their pastor.
**9:00 AM** — Church business begins. Bills. Building issues. Emails. Meetings. Planning. Staff. Ministries. Community concerns. Problems most members will never know existed because somebody handled them before Sunday morning.
**12:00 PM** — Lunch…sometimes.
**1:00 PM** — Counseling. Funeral arrangements. Hospital calls. Community meetings. Checking on seniors. Encouraging somebody who is ready to give up.
**3:00 PM** — Back to Sunday’s sermon. Reading. Studying. Praying. Writing. Erasing. Starting over. Asking God, *“What do Your people need to hear?”*
**5:00 PM** — More calls. More decisions. More ministry.
**7:00 PM** — Bible Study, meetings, rehearsals, counseling—or trying to spend a little time with family while still answering the phone.
**10:00 PM** — The church may be quiet, but the pastor’s mind isn’t.
Did I call everybody back?
Did I miss somebody?
Is Sister so-and-so doing better?
How are we going to pay for that repair?
What am I going to preach Sunday?
Did I say the right thing to that hurting family?
**Midnight** — Finally trying to sleep.
Then sometimes the phone rings again.
And when Sunday comes, I put on my suit, straighten my tie, walk into the pulpit and hear:
*“Pastor didn’t speak to me today.”*
*“Pastor hasn’t called me lately.”*
*“I don’t know what Pastor does all week.”*
And sometimes, if I can be transparent, that hurts.
Because pastors are people too.
We get tired.
We get discouraged.
We carry things we cannot tell the congregation.
We pray for people who never pray for us.
We show up for people who rarely show up for us.
We celebrate everybody else while sometimes carrying our own pain quietly.
And still—we preach.
Still—we pray.
Still—we serve.
Still—we answer the phone.
Still—we stand beside hospital beds.
Still—we bury your loved ones.
Still—we baptize your children.
Still—we counsel your families.
Still—we study when everybody else has gone to bed.
And when Sunday morning comes, we stand behind that sacred desk and declare, **“God is still good!”** even when we need somebody to remind *us* that He is good.
I’m not asking to be worshiped.
I’m not asking to be placed on a pedestal.
I’m not even asking everybody to understand.
But every now and then, your pastor needs to know that the labor is seen.
A text saying, **“Pastor, I’m praying for you.”**
A handshake saying, **“Thank you for serving.”**
A member saying, **“Pastor, what can I take off your plate?”**
Those things matter more than you know.
Scripture says:
**“And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord…” — 1 Thessalonians 5:12 KJV**
Don’t wait until your pastor is exhausted to appreciate the sacrifice.
Don’t wait until the pastoral anniversary to say thank you.
Don’t wait until the funeral to talk about how much the pastor meant to you.
Sometimes the shepherd needs encouragement too.
**Pastoring is a calling.
Pastoring is a privilege.
But pastoring is also a weight.**
So today, pray for your pastor.
And if you appreciate them—**tell them while they can still hear you.**
