In 1970, I graduated from Bethany Bible College, located in the Santa Cruz mountains, with a BS degree in Pastoral Theology! My minor was Psychology. At twenty-six, I was older than the average student, having worked for a while before deciding to attend Bible School.
I had been working for the State of California Dept. of Water Resources for a couple of years in the architectural unit, using my art talents to contribute to the then massive State Water Project. That summer after graduation, I got married, and we accepted a Youth Pastor role at my home church. After a short time, we felt our gifts were not being fully utilized. I was working at night as a janitor.
It was ironic to be a recent college grad and move from a professional job at the State with lots of promise, to becoming a janitor. But the next phase of my journey was stranger yet. We traveled to the district office of my denomination and accepted a small church in Pearl City, Oahu, Hawaii. “Wow! Paradise!” I thought. Not! The church we were assigned to turned out not to be the one promised, and we received half the promised monthly stipend.
We both had to work full-time. I began to stock drywall for a parishioner who had his own company. Although I was in good shape, the first day of carrying these massive sheetrock bundles into buildings through studs and other hindrances, all while being almost literally carried by a huge worker grasping the front of the load, was challenging.
When I returned home that evening, I slumped quickly onto our white Salvation Army couch and stamped it with the characteristic red dirt of Hawaii. I looked at my spouse and whispered, “Tonight’s not the night!” Eventually, I became wiry and tan. We lasted about nine months under the demanding workload.
When we returned, I eventually got a job stocking drywall for another three years. The featured photo is an AI rendition of a sample of what I did for those years. It was then that I began small graphic design jobs. I went full-time and have maintained that avocation for fifty years.
It was a decade’s struggle to accept that the so-called guilt of not “being in the ministry” began to subside. One of the liberating quotes that gave me solace and understanding was this:
“God doesn’t so much put people into ministry as He puts ministry into people.”
Following the end of a thirty-year marriage, I embarked on a identity quest for my purpose. Not my eternal one. That was fixed. But where was I going? Through much searching, counseling, and poor choices, it finally dawned on me that I was a “Journey Man.” I was on the journey, fulfilling various roles.
I eventually quit looking, and God gave me a wonderful spouse. It’s not what you do that defines you. It is the expression of your character and submission to God’s sometimes dim direction that causes you to walk through each experience without having to fully understand your role or purpose.
Peace and joy follow us when we surrender to the “not having to know” stance. I know, because that’s where I live today. I am a Journey Man to the Carpenter, Jesus!
imaginate.pro 