Calling and the City

I've been thinking through calling, lately. Urban ministry has many challenges. There are a lot of ups and downs. The city is filled with many different types of people from many different socioeconomic, ethnic, religious, and educational backgrounds. As a pastor in an intense urban environment, I find myself wearing many different hats throughout any given day of the week. I love it, and at the same time it is so unpredictable and it requires a complete dependence on the Holy Spirit. It's tiring sometimes. 

It can be very tempting for a pastor to try to be all things to all people. I can easily develop a savior complex if I'm not careful. That's delusional thinking. Not only is it impossible for me to keep up with everything on my own, but I burn out very quickly thinking that so much influence depends on me and my behavior. Jesus is the only Savior, and God gives the Holy Spirit to empower his church to participate in his redemptive mission. My only role is simple... to point people toward Jesus Christ at all times. That happens in different ways, but it's really not that complicated. 

I am learning that God calls me to certain places at certain times for his certain purposes. For a while in my life I was called to people in California as a teacher, coach, and as an elder at a local church. It was difficult to leave that calling, but God was calling me to people in Pittsburgh in neighborhoods like Homewood and East Liberty. For now, God is asking me to serve as an urban pastor and mentor. That may change some day, and God may call me some place else. In the mean time, I need to keep my focus on the calling that God has given me today, right here, right now, in this place. 

It may seem difficult, but all callings from God are supposed to feel that way. It's not about me. It's about what God wants to accomplish through me. That's that focus I'm carrying with me today. I am thankful for this calling, and I'm committed to helping other people around me to discover the unique calling that God has for them.