The Plateau

When it comes to ministry, this picture is a scary one. It’s a picture of a plateau. A beautiful piece of God’s creation, but not really what you want if you are the leader of any ministry or business entity. Because this image represents lack of growth.

It might only be for a season, but this is something that in no way is something that I look forward to experiencing. In fact it scares me. But it’s also something that you must learn to embrace for a season.

 

There are certain things that you can see from a plateau:

  1. Where you’ve been
  2. Where you’d like to go
  3. How stuck in the middle you are
There are certain areas that you have to look at as well considering that you don’t want to stay on the plateau.
Some of the most important that I’ve found are these
  • How is your physical health? Eating, Exercise, Rest?
  • Are you investing in someone else? Are you being invested into?
  • Are you trying to work your way out of it, or are you seeking help?
About a month ago, I was feeling sluggish, bored, tired and stressed out. More than ever, it was pitiful. Then I felt my body getting tight. I’ve had heart palpitations before, this wasn’t it, it was more like a panic attack, but not quite. I decided it was time for a trip to the doctor.
After a few weeks of testing we figured out that I had low testoterone levels and that could be a large contributing factor to the symptoms that I had been experiencing. I received some meds and have been doing some research and have felt much better. I even yelled when I lost at ping pong today!!
It could have been caused by some mild depression (the miscarriage), some kind of stress or another physical problem that we are continuing to test for, but as of right now we really don’t know. I do know that my physical habits could definitely be better and would help with all of the above.
The plateau is something we all face at some point. It’s important that we take the time to reflect on our bodies and our spirits and determine where our life is out of balance and ultimately abide in God’s presence and not our effort to make progress.
I’m making slow progress on exercising, diet, and sleeping better, but I’m glad that God is teaching me the “hard” way that I need to care more about the physical and emotional sides of my life rather than them spinning helplessly out of control later on in life.
By facing the plateau with support, you come out stronger and better. For me, this season of my life will lead me to be a better husband, friend, and Switch Pastor.