Following God’s Leading Doesn’t Always Mean Doing What You Want to Be Doing

Quite honestly, I would prefer to be full-time in the ministry.  I’ve been on staff in some sort of capacity at three different churches and volunteered at five or six churches in my lifetime.  I’ve helped plant a church and I’ve worked with youth, children, married couples, and administrated a whole church of about 175 people.  But for whatever reason, (unknown to me, but well known to God), instead of planting another church, or staffing at another church, in two days I get to help open a brand new Super Walmart in my hometown.  Now those who know me best, know that I worked for Fred Meyer for 20 years, most of it in the grocery department.  Instead of taking the 15 to 17 years of ministry experience and applying it to a church staff position, I get to take those 20 years and help a Walmart start a new store.

Some would say, and I am partially in that camp, that God is using my grocery giftings appropriately. Others might be thinking I missed God’s leading. Others might say, I am in a “learn something in the storm” period of my life, and others might say, “This is exactly what God has planned for you at this time in your life.” I wish I could whole-heartedly agree.  I am kind of there, but most of the time I prefer to go back to my preference. Full-time ministry. 

Here’s my point:  I am exactly where I am suppose to be, doing what I am suppose to be doing, for however long God wants me to do it. Am I happy with that? I am trying to be happy with that. I am doing no less for God. On the side that I am happy with it, I get to be around so many unchurch people, that if Walmart was a church plant, I’d have  a very big (500 employees in one store) church to help a lot of people grow in their relationship with God. (NOTE: To all my pastoral friends, doing what I wish I could be doing, you’ll find your new congregants in Walmarts all over the place.) 

To all my fellow pastors who are not pastoring, but wish you could be, the saying is “harvest where your planted,” or something like that, and stay true to God. Because we are right in the middle of it.  We have some of the greatest opportunities to reach people some pastors won’t ever get to. 

Do I want to retire from Walmart? Hardly. Do I want to grow where I am planted? Definitely.  Sometimes God’s leading doesn’t always mean doing what I want to be doing.  And that doesn’t  lessen who I am with God. 

Wednesday September 2nd, I go from planting a church, to opening a Super Walmart.  God thinks that’s cool.