June 27, 2015 was a rainy day in Towson, MD. But amidst the rain, something special happened for me that day as I was ordained into the holy ministry to be a pastor. It is a day that I will forever remember and cherish.

30 years of my life had been building to that day. I always knew I wanted to work for a church, first as a teacher and then as a family life minister. But throughout that time, I was encouraged to consider being a pastor. That idea seemed foolish to me, because I thought that pastors were perfect people who came from special families. While my family is “special”, it wasn’t special in the sense of being a pastor.

I was never confident that I would actually become a pastor. It was something I fought against because I did not think I was right for the position. During my days in seminary, I still wasn’t confident that I would become a pastor. Classes were hard, I didn’t always love the culture of church workers, and things just didn’t seem like they would work out.

But over time, God put the right pieces in place at the right time for me to reach June 27, 2015 – ordination day. Even as I sat in the pew that day minutes leading up to ordination, I was not confident that it would happen. Surely the rain would flood the place, which it almost did. Someone would get sick. Or even Jesus would return, which would not be a terrible thing. But it happened. And I remember feeling different and yet the same as that day came to a close. I had no idea what the years in front of me would hold, but I was confident that I was doing what God had called me to do.

Over these last 10 years, I can admit that I have doubted if I should continue being a pastor. The job is hard. Days of feeling defeated seem to occur more than days of feeling successful, whatever that word means in my position. I have made many mistakes over the years and probably a thousand more in the eyes of my people. I have experienced some of my highest moments only to be knocked down to my lowest moments the next day.

And yet, this is a calling that I would not change if given the chance. Sure, I might try to change some of my mistakes, but I would continue to be a pastor. And Lord willing, I will continue to be a pastor for the next 1o years or more.

If you have made it this far in the post, I want to encourage you to pray for your pastor. The job is hard and can often feel lonely. Pray for him and the work God is doing through him. And then consider encouraging others that you know to become a pastor. There are many wonderful programs out there that can train and educate people to become pastors. And there are many more being considered, and yes, I have written and deleted a few blog posts about pastoral education in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. There are many congregations now and going into the future that will need faithful pastors to shepherd them. Pray and encourage those around you that may feel called by God to become a pastor.

June 27, 2015 was a special day. I am grateful that God brought me to that day. I am thankful that God has been with me every day since. And I am confident that God will be with me everyday going forward.

Photo by Callum Blacoe on Unsplash