The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Part 1: The Good
Currently, I am a hospital chaplain. Originally, I thought I
would be fearful or might dislike my job, but I have loved every minute of it.
I love seeing patients and family, especially one on one. I love the
discussions I have with the religious and non-religious about life, family,
friends, and many other things. I love being there for people in sacred
moments. But with all these great moments, I have become a lot more reflective
in my previous ministry, the time when I was a part-time youth minister.
While I was in seminary/grad school, I decided it was
finally time to get a job as a youth minister. I had wanted to in college but
transportation was a problem, seeing as I had no car nor could afford one (or
the insurance for one). I was doing better in grad school and was excited when
only after a few months I had an interview and got accepted as part-time youth
minister.
During that time a lot happened. I grew from a person who
wanted to be a minister, to a person who was a minister, though I did feel bad
I wasn’t full-time. I had to always work two to three jobs to pay bills, so
when I wasn’t working; I was studying or trying to relax.
The thing I liked most about youth ministry was seeing the
change in the youth. I saw girls start becoming ladies and boys start becoming
men. Sunday after Sunday I brought the word of God to them. I really enjoyed
writing and teaching bible studies. I would teach on Jesus parables, his I AM
statements, the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord's Prayer, and on and on.
Especially, I liked on Sunday nights going through books of the bible. We went
through Acts, Philippians, and Ephesians.
I also admit... it was really enjoyable to get paid to
hang-out with the students. I mean, I got paid to watch movies, go bowling, go
to Sunday Lunch, or have breakfast. I also really enjoyed one time when I got
to perform music with the youth. It was only one song, but practicing singing
and playing guitar with those young women... and then performing in front of
the church. Well, it felt good. It made me feel like I had finally started to
connect and succeed.
~ Boldness & Compassion
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