Posted on July 18, 2025 by Lindy Hinckley, tLMFT
Church Worker Wellness
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“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives, give I to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27
With riots, wars and rumors of more wars circulating, one may wonder where to find peace. This may be especially true for church workers who have to deal with spiritual warfare. May I suggest some peaceful practices to adopt?
“For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” Ephesians 5:8
I remember as a young child finding my peaceful places. One was up in the boughs of a tree in my front yard, where I could think and dream unimpeded by noisy siblings. The other was also a favorite spot my sister and I would watch the brilliant sunsets of the desert. Now, I have other peaceful places I like to go. Sometimes it’s a visualization of a beach during a meditation or hiking through the beautiful Black Hills where I live. Wherever your peaceful place is, go there, and often. You will find that peaceful places aren’t on your phone or on your to-do list, but they are important places of being. Ephesians 5:8 reminds us to walk as children of light and that is possible when we go to peaceful places.
“Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart.” Ephesians 5:19
Some of my favorite moments of the day are listening to a favorite hymn (Be Still My Soul) or an especially good devotion or podcast. The moments I choose to listen to holy music and heaven is near are the best in my day. Choose to put the Lord first, even in your music, and you will feel the peace only He can bring.
“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” Ephesians 5:4
Speaking to a spouse or a child about the things you are grateful for can be a way to have peace in your relationships. Try to find the flowers, not the weeds, in others. If you practice unhelpful communication like escalation, invalidation, withdrawing or avoiding, and negatively interpreting, try a different holier way. As we’re reminded in Ephesians:
“Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. Ephesians 5:1
We should be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” As imitators of Jesus Christ how can we walk in love and share His peace with others? Find one area of your life where you are going to practice peacefulness. Can you practice peace to those who cut you off in traffic? Steal your ideas at work as their own? Gossip behind your back? Can you practice peace in your relationships? I challenge you to find one person or situation that you do not feel peace about and ask the Lord to help you to forgive, to love, or to change.
If you’d like help on your peace journey, the counselors at Lutheran Family Service are ready to help you find peaceful places, people and ways of being on your journey.
Lutheran Family Service counselor, Lindy Hinckley, tLMFT, serves individuals, couples, and families in person in Deadwood, South Dakota, and throughout the state via telehealth.
If you as a church worker (or that special church worker in your life) are in need of Christ-centered mental health or marriage counseling, contact us today.
Lutheran Family Service walks with those experiencing difficult times through mental health counseling, marriage counseling, crisis pregnancy counseling, and adoption services.
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