A few years ago - when I was especially vulnerable to the prompting of the Holy Spirit - I awoke to a voice that stirred my very soul. Though there was no other person in the house, the message was as clear as was the One who sent it. Only these three words were uttered: Embrace your cross.
It was not long after that day when I finally accepted the call into ministry (yes, I had been called before but, like so many others, I chose to ignore/deny it). Despite that call, however, it has not been easy to get that particular rocket "off the launch pad" as it were. As it turns out, I was going about it all wrong.
I compare my experience to that of the Apostle Paul, who himself was pursuing his call in ministry. Believing he was being sent to the province of Asia to share the gospel, he faced one obstacle after another until he finally was led to Macedonia - where God intended. (Acts 16:6-10) It was not his intentions that were wrong - it was his direction.
I have faced obstacles in my own ministry pursuit - some out of my control, some of it my own fault. I had allowed disappointment to misguide me from grasping a goal I hoped to reach. However I have been pushed and pulled into a new direction, and I believe now that I have finally arrived at my own "Macedonia."
At last the next chapter of my life is on the launch pad, fully-fueled and counting down to launch. Next week I will be starting my education toward my ministry goals by attending chaplain school. It is not a full-fledged seminary but it is a start nonetheless.
So here we go...
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