Brother in Arms

Before you every do anything, that you know is coming, you visualize it in your mind. I like to call this the mind's eye. Before we run a mile, we will visualize the mile and how we will do in our mind to mentally prepare for the event. Before we take a test, we will visualize the answer and how each section will come, before we ever put pen to paper. Even before I wrote this post, I visualized in my mind what I was going to write about and think through. We do this as humans, becasue it is part of our nature. And our nature hates the unknown and uncontrollable. So we visualize what is about to take place, becasue we want to be aware, thinking through, and be prepared for what is in front.

As a Pastor and minister of the Gospel, it is no different. I can still see where I was the very fist time I visualized what being a Pastor would be like. I can still hear the conversations that I had with many different people of what leading God's sheep would entail. I can still remember the prayers, thanking God for calling me into this exciting adventure and journey of being His hands leading His people. And then the blood curdling screams bring me back to reality.

Being a Pastor, is more times than not, going to war. We go to war against heresy, the world's influence, our own sin nature, the devils' tempting, the sin nature of the people, and the brokenness of the whole. This war comes with causality, injury, sweat, fighting, stress, unexpected shots, and every single element that you think of when you think of a war. Being a Pastor is being a soldier in the trenches. And more times than I would like to admit, it strait sucks, is painful, and is the most unglorious thing a person can do. Being a Pastor is not at all what my mind's eye saw.

But my mind's eye did not also see the comradery that would come with being a soldier. I had the privilege and blessing today of enjoying some time with a fellow soldier in arms. It was a blessing to grab some coffee with a fellow minister of the Gospel. It was the bolt of courage that I needed to trudge on. Praying with, talking with, listening to, and sharing time with another Pastor is a part of being a soldier I cherish the most. Patching each other's injuries, giving courage to one another's battles, and lifting one another up in prayer, are all parts of the comradery that makes ministry a blessing. Spending time with a brother in arms is exactly what the doctor called for and not what my mind's eye saw.

So even though my mind's eye was no where close to picturing Gospel ministry correctly, I am glad to say that having brothers in arms, is also an element of being a Pastor, that I was not anticipating. So thank you Tim for a great time of encouragement. But more importantly, thank you God for this good gift that keeps in giving, in being able to spend time with a brother in arms.