Your Calling is Not Time Sensitive

Update: This post has been nominated over at Youthmin.org as one of the best youth ministry blog posts of the year. If you have connected with this post, I would appreciate your vote.

The story is one I hear often. A frustrated Rookie Pastor isn’t where they want to be. They feel stuck.

As pastors and church leaders we speak in terms of calling and spiritual gifts. Understanding and identifying these gifts is often a landmark experience, one that brings hope and excitement for vocation. However the frustration comes when this calling does not immediately lead to the job title you seek.

We forget that:

• David went back to the field after Samuel anointed him.
• Jesus was 30 before he started his ministry.
• After the road to Damascus Paul spent 10+ years in Tarsus.

Rookie Pastors, particularly those of us who are young are especially susceptible to frustration and discontentment.  I know this feeling of being stuck and helpless. If I was ever going to leave ministry in the local church it would have been during one of these moments.

Here’s the hard truth: you may be called but you aren’t necessarily ready. The value of time serving cannot be undervalued. In this experience that grows you set yourself up to be ready to jump when the right opportunity comes up.

Here’s the encouraging truth: you aren’t stuck. Where you are now matters and it counts. The opportunity you have to learn from someone else in a certain situation, even if it is to learn what you wouldn’t do is invaluable.

It counts, be patient, and stay faithful.

If you have read this far and like the post, I’d appreciate your vote.