 |
|
|
I AM A PASTOR
I am a Pastor. No brag just fact. It’s not something that I chose, but rather something that chose me. As a matter of fact, it is something that I have attempted to shake off like a rabbit caught in a trap, but to no avail. I have even thought of gnawing my paw off to set myself free but I could never seem to take the first bite.
Honestly, “it chose me”, “I chose it”, at this stage of the game the selection process has become so vague that I can’t actually recall the details. Being a Pastor is just what I do, it is just who I am, it is what He created me to be.
I am an educated Pastor, in fact 26 years of formal education. However, not one moment of that education prepared me to keep the death watch over a child. There were no classes that taught the correct restraint for holding an angry woman who just found out about her husbands adulteress affair. I never wrote or read the essay that taught me the correct way to call the parents of a teen to tell them that there child had been arrested for possession. Nope, not one seminary class prepared me for the stark realities of pastoral life.
I am an experienced Pastor. I have 20 years of full time service under my belt, or should I say belts. There’s no way the belt I started out with would fit me now.
I haven’t always been Lead Pastor or Senior Pastor. I have worn many hats. Youth Pastor, Associate Pastor, Administration Pastor and Education Pastor are all titles that have been associated with my name. However, the glamour of the title fades in comparison to the actuality of the assignment. With those titles have come sub-titles like, janitor, sound crew, kitchen crew, chauffeur, lawn crew, secretary and on many occasions whipping boy. I have also been called names that would be inappropriate to share. It appears that the longer I remain at my post, the longer the list of names become.
I am a gifted Pastor. My primary spiritual gifts fall into the category of Evangelism, Prayer, Administration and Discernment. My heart quickens with every opportunity I have to use my gifts. However, the monotony of daily requirements requires that I look for opportunities to use my giftedness rather than the opportunities being obvious. The thrill of connecting my giftedness with another’s need motivates me onward.
Even though the realities of life and demands of people often crowd out the joys of the Pastorate, the truth is being a Pastor is about life and people. I can never forget that I am called to serve those Christ came to die for. It is what I am created for and I find complete joy in that truth.
I have been lauded and applauded. Respected and recognized. Appreciated and rewarded. But those accolades only last for a moment. It is at the finish line of my life where I expect to receive my greatest reward.
I expect someday to step into eternity, with my paw in tact, and to hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” and to see clearly the face of Him who assigned me the title of Pastor.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
|
|
|
