Initially I was only going to do four posts on this chapter, but as I got to the end of yesterday's this just didn't seem to fit. I'm about to share a bit of my heart, something that those closest to me know about. But here is perhaps the deepest desire on my heart that will never be fulfilled.
I want to be a Navy SEAL. Everything I've ever done in life my goal has been to be the best, and the SEALs are the most elite commandos in the world. When I was younger I was terrified of joining the military because I didn't like pain and the idea of death scared me. It's not that either of those has changed, but I'm a lot tougher now than I was then, and I'm motivated now by something greater than self-preservation. But at this point in my life I'm too old, and too out of shape to attempt anything like that.
It's been difficult these last few years hearing about the different things they have accomplished, knowing that if I had gone for it and made it, I could have been on those missions. It isn't about the attention or the glory. It isn't about having some great stories to tell the grandkids, SEALs don't tell war stories. It's about being the best, doing something that very few can do, because you can. It's about serving others, and doing whatever is necessary so that others can be free and safe.
On May 25, 2013 I had an incredible moment; I met a SEAL, and not just a SEAL, but one of the original SEALs. I was at work and he was walking towards me with a Navy hat on. I thanked him for serving and asked if I could help him. He said he was fine, but as he walked past me I noticed something on his chest, a pin of the triton and eagle, the symbol of the SEALs. I stopped turned and asked him, and he then talked to me for about fifteen minutes. And as he talked I was glad that God had spared me from that life. Don't get me wrong, part of me still wishes I had tried; part of me still wishes I could do it, but I am so grateful that I have never had to experience war.
"We have desires in our hearts that are core to who and what we are; they are almost mythic in their meaning, waking in us something transcendent and eternal. But we can be mistaken about how those desires will be lived out. The way in which God fulfills a desire may be different from what first awakened it."
So how does God fulfill this desire to be the most elite commando in the world in my life? It's only possible when I see life as the war it really is. As a Christ follower I've enlisted in God's military, all of us have. Each of us plays a different role, we all have different callings and roles, and all of them are essential. It's not that pastors are any more holy, righteous, or important than any other Christian, we are just people who are striving to become more like Christ, but we have the added responsibility of leading and instructing people in spiritual matters. The Bible says in James 3.1, "Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment." Pastors are held to a higher standard according to the Bible.
In the first letter to Timothy, Paul warns that Church leaders are not to be put in place quickly and without prayer and careful consideration (1 Timothy 3). This is not a calling for everyone; it is not a life for everyone. Aside from the higher standard of God, we are also targeted by the enemy, and sadly, by people. When a pastor falls into sin everything he has worked for is undone, and so the enemy works hard to make him fall. People work to take down pastors when they do things that they don't like, even if it is Biblically sound and working to build the Kingdom.
Pastors deal with a lot, things that most Christians don't. We dedicate our lives to the ministry of the Gospel; our livelihood is dependent upon it. And while it brings incredible blessings, it is not in any way without its hardships. And in some ways, I feel like God's SEAL. He has placed a high calling on my life; I've been through training and battle, and have scars to show for it. But there is still work to do, there are still people that need to become like Christ, there are future leaders that need to be mentored and trained. No matter how hard the battle gets I can't quit. I must rely on my source of strength and the training He has provided me. And on top of that, there are the other members of SEAL Team Pastor. We have to stand together, along with all of God's military. We are at war, and all of us play a crucial role in the battle. Will you play yours?
We all have desires, and they may not be fulfilled in the way we first thought. I will never be a sailor in the US Navy, and without that I can never be a Navy SEAL, but God has called me to serve Him in a great capacity. What is your heart’s desire? How is God fulfilling it? How is your life the great adventure that your heart longs for?
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
No comments:
Post a Comment