As I mentioned last week, I remember a specific moment in time when I was called by God to the ministry. At the time, I was pretty sure God had given me a straight path that I would be on for the rest of my life. However, the path has been full of twists and turns!
While I did wind up being a pastor's wife and that has not changed, my task in ministry has changed many times over the years. I majored in marriage and family counseling in seminary because that was what God told me to do. I thought I would graduate and immediately get a job at a Christian counseling agency and would most likely work there until we had children. That didn't happen at all! I couldn't even find a job, and two years after graduation, we moved to a rural area where there were no jobs for a counselor. Even when I did try to go to work, some road block would invariably come up, and the job would fall through.
I have done everything under the sun at church - Sunday school teacher, full-time pianist, youth disciple now leader, VBS worker, website builder, worship leader, and several times, church secretary. Having all of those jobs helped me to see what I was really good at and what God actually wanted me to do versus what others thought I SHOULD be doing. Being a pastor's wife does not mean that I have to be a jack-of-all-trades. I need to be where God wants me to be and where God has gifted me.
One of my favorite tasks in the world is one that God gave me after we moved here to Pineville. As we were rebuilding the church, one of the things that had to be restarted was college ministry. I volunteered to HELP. Just help. Just be a friend. Just cook them some food maybe. Well, as often happens, I ended up being the leader. AND I LOVE IT! I wouldn't want to do anything else. Really. This weekend I get to meet international students at LSUA and the new freshmen at LC. I cannot wait! They bring so much joy and fun to my life. I am praying for God to astound us this year as we get to know Him better!
Listen to God for your calling, then find your task. And don't fret if it changes! There is no telling what God has in store for you!
While I did wind up being a pastor's wife and that has not changed, my task in ministry has changed many times over the years. I majored in marriage and family counseling in seminary because that was what God told me to do. I thought I would graduate and immediately get a job at a Christian counseling agency and would most likely work there until we had children. That didn't happen at all! I couldn't even find a job, and two years after graduation, we moved to a rural area where there were no jobs for a counselor. Even when I did try to go to work, some road block would invariably come up, and the job would fall through.
I have done everything under the sun at church - Sunday school teacher, full-time pianist, youth disciple now leader, VBS worker, website builder, worship leader, and several times, church secretary. Having all of those jobs helped me to see what I was really good at and what God actually wanted me to do versus what others thought I SHOULD be doing. Being a pastor's wife does not mean that I have to be a jack-of-all-trades. I need to be where God wants me to be and where God has gifted me.
One of my favorite tasks in the world is one that God gave me after we moved here to Pineville. As we were rebuilding the church, one of the things that had to be restarted was college ministry. I volunteered to HELP. Just help. Just be a friend. Just cook them some food maybe. Well, as often happens, I ended up being the leader. AND I LOVE IT! I wouldn't want to do anything else. Really. This weekend I get to meet international students at LSUA and the new freshmen at LC. I cannot wait! They bring so much joy and fun to my life. I am praying for God to astound us this year as we get to know Him better!
Listen to God for your calling, then find your task. And don't fret if it changes! There is no telling what God has in store for you!
Comments
Post a Comment