Doing something for the ministry or doing something because God led you to do something even though you do not know why.
Recently, I have been battling back and forth with decisions on career paths. I know whatever I do will be used in Ministry but figuring out what that may be is difficult. In some ways I want to teach, but it is not my #1 passion. Part of me wants to build the Mary Kay dream, and I do have a lot more passion for that as a career. Part of me wants to take off on a tour bus signed to a band contract for a year or so. Now that sounds like a great first career path. Maybe Ill just write a devotional book, or maybe not. ☺ But whatever I do, I must do in God’s time. Whatever I do I will move toward because the Spirit moved me...not because I weighed my options. What I always thought before was I need to find something that is linked to ministry. I have to pair ministry with whatever that career/job is. Perhaps, I thought of it in the wrong way.
I am a pre seminary student. I will graduate from my undergraduate in 2 months, and start seminary classes in the fall. I have felt moved to pursue a master’s degree in Pastoral Counseling. God led me to a place that is not always sunny and where people need to see hope and the light of Christ in their lives. Not that they don’t need that everywhere, but from experience I can say that living in an area where the sun only shines 110 days out of the year can pull you into a funk that is hard to crawl out of.
Listening to people fuels my desire to serve others. I want to give even when there is nothing to give that I can provide. Recently I have been sending out messages and emails to friends from the area trying to reconnect to those I knew years ago. Many of them respond right away and spill the updates to their lives to me instantly. One woman in particular jumped out at me when she said these two things. “I feel like I work all the time and have no social life” and “I am looking for a part time job”. I hope she reads this blog and smiles because sister I am praying for you and God has placed you on my heart! I am realizing in this that I desire to see her life turn around so she is happy, so she finds that whatever career she works in is fulfilling because God can use anything we do while we walk this path of life with Him.
What is important to us? What do we want out of life? What do we feel called too? What is life in the ministry? I guess my mind has been wrapped around this idea that my only job can be serving in a church, doing music, teaching, and eventually counseling but all within the church walls. When did I loose my focus on the big picture? The building itself is a building. The church is the people. I am part of the church. No matter what I decide to do and no matter where my office desk is, I am still able to do work that can be used by God.
I am living with a very special woman of God while on internship. She has been watching and giving tidbits of advice the past two weeks to life and ministry. What she said to me makes a lot of sense. We always say we are using whatever job as a ministry tool. Well are we? Or maybe we need to quit focusing on what we wrote down to do and just let God take it. Work in what the Spirit moved us too, and see what will come along the way. God can use anything we do if we belong to Him. I am trying to reason some career options based on the value they could hold in ministry. In what field can I do the most? Wrong thinking! I could be the music pastor in a church and do diddly squat for the kingdom while a person with a job outside the church may do more just living with Christ in their life walking with Him each day.
As frazzled as this blog I send my apologies. I am processing this even as I type it out. What I am realizing is that it is more important to let the Spirit lead than to try to nail down this one option based on what the outcome could be. Live a life that is led by Christ and Gods will WILL be done. Whatever my decision….it will be used.
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