A CALL TO OBEDIENCE, NOT SUCCESS
Late one night my phone rang and before I could finish saying, "Hello," the voice on the other end frantically spoke.
"I'm so sorry to call you late. I don't know what to do. I love where I'm at. I just need to take care of my family, and this is such a great opportunity... hello?"
"I'm just listening," I replied patiently. Immediately I knew it was one of my young interns who had gone on to do an incredible job pastoring a group of teenagers in another state. He was beginning to gain recognition and have doors of opportunity opening right and left.
"Help me, Mom...I want to do the right thing."
I laughed and said, "I love you so much. Isn't it funny how we're supposed to have it all figured out? If people only knew how confused we often are." He uttered a nervous laugh, but I could tell it broke the tension on the other line.
"You are so amazing and I know this will not be the only offer you receive. Have you prayed about this?"
Without hesitation he wittingly replied, "I was your intern, wasn't I?
But I knew there was no peace, and so after balancing with love and affirmation I said, "Is this a larger ministry than the one you are in?"
"Yes," he said.
"Is it one that will pay more or build your ego more than the one you are in right now?"
"Yes." His voice grew solemn. "Mom, have you had offers from other churches that you were tempted to take?"
I laughed quietly, knowing I had honestly lost track of how many times churches, universities, or ministries had called with their list of proposals. "Yeah, I have," I said softly.
"So how did you decide?" he asked.
"Mentoring point number one hundred and forty-seven..." I began. He chuckled at the familiar phrase. Then I spoke directly, "Along the journey of ministry I never stop reminding myself that I am called to obedience, not success..."
When you are called to leave one ministry and enter another, there are two questions you must ask yourself:
Ironically, we never consider the option of being called to a new pastoral position that involves a smaller paycheck, but rather God always seems to direct us towards a position that will increase our income. Understandably, we all require money to pay our bills and provide for our families, yet I grimace at the thought of we as pastors making significant decisions in the same way our worldly counterparts do. When the door of opportunity to leave one ministry opens, I strenuously suggest you pray until you no longer see dollar signs but hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and come to a decision that is accompanied by the peace that passes all understanding. God did not call us to success, but instead He's called us to obedience, and obedience often appears very different. From the moment I answered God's call on my own life to enter the ministry, I asked to be significant, not successful; to be a voice, not a name.
"I'm so sorry to call you late. I don't know what to do. I love where I'm at. I just need to take care of my family, and this is such a great opportunity... hello?"
"I'm just listening," I replied patiently. Immediately I knew it was one of my young interns who had gone on to do an incredible job pastoring a group of teenagers in another state. He was beginning to gain recognition and have doors of opportunity opening right and left.
"Help me, Mom...I want to do the right thing."
I laughed and said, "I love you so much. Isn't it funny how we're supposed to have it all figured out? If people only knew how confused we often are." He uttered a nervous laugh, but I could tell it broke the tension on the other line.
"You are so amazing and I know this will not be the only offer you receive. Have you prayed about this?"
Without hesitation he wittingly replied, "I was your intern, wasn't I?
But I knew there was no peace, and so after balancing with love and affirmation I said, "Is this a larger ministry than the one you are in?"
"Yes," he said.
"Is it one that will pay more or build your ego more than the one you are in right now?"
"Yes." His voice grew solemn. "Mom, have you had offers from other churches that you were tempted to take?"
I laughed quietly, knowing I had honestly lost track of how many times churches, universities, or ministries had called with their list of proposals. "Yeah, I have," I said softly.
"So how did you decide?" he asked.
"Mentoring point number one hundred and forty-seven..." I began. He chuckled at the familiar phrase. Then I spoke directly, "Along the journey of ministry I never stop reminding myself that I am called to obedience, not success..."
When you are called to leave one ministry and enter another, there are two questions you must ask yourself:
- Is this ministry larger than the one I'm in at the present time?
- Does this one pay more or fan my ego more than the one I'm currently serving?
Ironically, we never consider the option of being called to a new pastoral position that involves a smaller paycheck, but rather God always seems to direct us towards a position that will increase our income. Understandably, we all require money to pay our bills and provide for our families, yet I grimace at the thought of we as pastors making significant decisions in the same way our worldly counterparts do. When the door of opportunity to leave one ministry opens, I strenuously suggest you pray until you no longer see dollar signs but hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and come to a decision that is accompanied by the peace that passes all understanding. God did not call us to success, but instead He's called us to obedience, and obedience often appears very different. From the moment I answered God's call on my own life to enter the ministry, I asked to be significant, not successful; to be a voice, not a name.