Why I Love My Job

Yesterday's post could have been understood as a pessimistic look at pastoral ministry. I sure hope that's not the case but just in case you misunderstood, I thought I'd follow-up today with a more optimistic look at pastoral ministry. I love what God allows me to do.

Pastors get to be on the front lines of what God's doing in the world. Although we're not always directly engaged in combat (see yesterday's post), we're generally right there where the action is happening. I'm getting text messages back from Italy every day this week from the people I get to serve who are having a significant impact in Florence and Bologna. God is using them, and I get to be right there as they take steps of faith that lead others to take steps of faith.

Pastors get paid to study the Bible and pour into peoples' lives. How much better can life be than that? This morning, I'm going to drive to Dallas Seminary and spend a prolonged period of time in the library studying 2 Peter 1:5-11. Then I have a lunch appointment for which the sole purpose is to encourage some guys in their ministry. I'll do that kind of thing in various locations this week, and at some point next week I'm going to cash a paycheck for it. I just can't think of much better than that.

Finally, I get to help people navigate through the best and worst of times. Thursday, I'm going to get to visit a mom and new baby in the hospital. Friday I'm presenting the Gospel to the equivalent of that new baby plus six years at our Childrens Camp. Saturday I'm doing premarital counseling. Next week I'm doing some marriage counseling. The next week I'm doing baptisms, and at some point in the next month or two the chances are good that I'll be doing a funeral. All of those are times in peoples' lives where the pastor is one of the first person called to the "scene." Sometimes they are hard times, but they're also the places at which people are most primed to allow God to work in their lives. That's good stuff.

Vocational ministry is hard. There is a cost. You're always on call, generally underpaid, sometimes underappreciated, and rarely prepared. But I can't imagine myself ever wanting to do anything else.