The pastor's search for meaning

I’m re-reading Man’s Search for Meaning. The last time I read it was when I was in seminary. I skimmed it for a course. It had a profound effect on me then, but it’s been good to soak it in this time around.

In the first half, Victor Frankl writes about the every day life of surviving in a concentration camp. He doesn’t go into detail about the ovens and gas chambers, instead he explores the mundane stuff of torture and why he didn’t “run into the wire” (electrocuting oneself on the fence was the preferred means of suicide). He became interested in why some people have resilience, even in the most difficult suffering.

Church leaders suffer, on different levels. Most do not suffer at the depths that Dr. Frankl experienced, although some might. I meet a lot of depressed and anxious pastors in more ordinary situations, and sometimes find our self-care advice can be insubstantial. We often indulge in destructive behaviors to deal with our suffering—drinking in excess, eating too much, or engaging in unhealthy relationships.