In following their calling to ministry, a person does not automatically lose their human frailties. They may feel tired, experience disappointment, or even make mistakes. For this reason, the saying ‘pastors are only human’ often serves as a reminder not to demand perfection from those who serve. However, understanding a person’s limitations does not mean justifying every action they take. Where, then, lies the boundary between allowing room for human frailty and shirking responsibility for mistakes made?
We can reflect on this struggle between limitations and responsibility through the calling of Ezekiel. After falling prostrate before the glory of the LORD, he was commanded to stand up. God addressed him as ‘son of man’, affirming his humanity in the presence of the Almighty. Yet Ezekiel did not stand on his own strength alone. The Spirit enveloped him and enabled him to stand and hear the word of God. That calling did not remove his limitations, but gave him the strength to carry out the task entrusted to him.
That task was by no means an easy one. Ezekiel was sent to a stubborn and rebellious people. He had to deliver God’s word, whether the people were willing to listen or rejected it. However, before facing the people’s rebellion, Ezekiel himself was warned not to rebel (v. 8). He was then shown a scroll containing lamentations, complaints and groans. The word entrusted to him was not always a pleasant message, but also a voice expressing anguish and a reality that was not easy to accept.
Faced with this calling, Ezekiel was not only asked to be brave in the face of rejection, but also to be willing to submit himself to the word he was to deliver. Do we not, too, often find it easier to see the faults of others than to acknowledge our own? We can stand firm when rebuking others, yet waver when that rebuke is directed at ourselves. Yet, the word we convey to others ought also to find a place in our own hearts, revealing what needs to be put right and guiding us towards change.
Dear Friends of the Bible, every human being has limitations that should be met with understanding and compassion. There are wounds, weariness and struggles that may explain why someone acts in a certain way. However, understanding the reasons behind an action does not always mean justifying the consequences it brings about. Indeed, we cannot change every situation, and not every wound can be healed immediately. However, there is always room to learn how to take the next step, however small it may be. When we are in the wrong, may we have the humility to admit it, the courage to accept correction, and the willingness to put right what can still be put right. For the God who enabled Ezekiel to stand amidst his limitations also accompanies us in the process of learning, growing, and renewing ourselves.
