Pastor Appreciation

The pastor at worship yesterday thanked his congregation for all the expressions of appreciation offered to him and the Associate pastor and then he did a surprising thing.  It was something I wished I had done back in the years when I was in his place.  There were three of us who were retired pastors out there in his pews and he took a moment to express appreciation for our years of ministry.  It was a surprise, not really necessary, but I must admit, it did feel kind of nice.  

It was a simple act of kindness which set me to thinking and remembering some of the pastors who have touched my life and for whom I have great appreciation.  The first one which came to mind was my Dad who died back in 2023.  He took on that role when he and my Mom married.  My first remembrance of him was being baptized by him at age nine.  Three years later we became family.  He was a good pastor who had a strong personal faith in Christ.  He was also a gentle man who modeled before me the life of one who loved the Lord.  He helped lay the foundational stones of my own faith and more than any others who helped shaped my faith, he is remembered with much gratitude and love.  None of us can really predict the trajectory of our life.  When we are overwhelmed with youthful enthusiasm, we often live with the illusion that life will be lived according to a personally conceived plan.  

It takes some of us more than a few years and some lessons from the school of hard knocks to realize that life is not lived according to what is planned but according to the way it unfolds.  The only One who really has the plan is God and He is also the One who does the unfolding,  I do not know what shape my life would have had if it had gone according to a different trajectory, but what I know is that God used this one pastor to give me gentle nudges, unconditional love, and a model of faith in Christ.  I will always be in my Dad's debt and I will always be grateful.