Jump directly to the Content

COMEBACK

A sense of calling returns from the disabled list.

Ten years ago, I stood at my ordination reception, shaking hands with the well-wishers. Near the end of the long line, a church elder congratulated me. Then, he stooped to greet my 4-year-old daughter, whose hand I held.

"Do you know what we're celebrating, today, Kelly?" he asked.

"Today is the day they make my daddy king," she replied.

We laughed. However, I glowed inwardly. She voiced what may have been close to my ministry expectations.

I'll be liked by people, I thought during my years of ministry preparation. They'll be grateful for my help; they'll rise up and call me blessed.

My upbringing reinforced my beliefs: my father was a Christian college professor, my brother a youth pastor, and my brother-in-law a pastor. Ministry was elevated above all other careers. Certainly God would be pleased that I had not chosen another calling.

In the midst of my euphoria, though, I heard the whisper of a subtle fear: What if they rise up, not to bless me, but to leave me? What if I fail? What if my ...

March
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Tom Nelson: Deconstructing Biblical Assumptions
Tom Nelson: Deconstructing Biblical Assumptions
God's introduction as a worker in Genesis 1-2 forces us to reassess and rethink biblical stereotypes and assumptions to develop a doctrine of vocation.
From the Magazine
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
Empty Streets to the Empty Grave
While reporting in Israel, photographer Michael Winters captures an unusually vacant experience at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close