Faithfully yours - One step at a time

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Published on Saturday, May 21, 2016

By Neil Strohschein 

The Neepawa Banner

Every year I meet at least one person who has slipped on an icy patch of concrete or pavement and suffered a broken wrist or hand. Their stories are the same. It was an accident and accidents happen. The bone took less than a second to break. It will take weeks to heal.

The same is true when we are confronted with sudden changes in other aspects of life. The words: “You’re being laid off” or “I want a divorce” can hit you like a bolt out of the blue; leaving you in shock and gasping for breath, wondering what to do next.

You know one thing for sure. Life will never be as it was. You can’t go back to the old job; the marriage (even if a reconciliation takes place and many do) will never be what it was (hopefully it will be better) and there are some opportunities for service (especially in organized religion) that may not come your way once some of your life experiences are disclosed.

Don’t despair if that happens. God has a plan. Let him work it out in his way and in his time. Your job and my job is to follow his instructions and move forward one step at a time.

I had to face this issue myself several years ago. In some branches of organized religion, a failed marriage disqualifies one from serving as pastor of a church. The rest are reluctant to consider a recently divorced person for permanent assignment because they want to see evidence of healing and recovery first. As painful as it was for me to face these facts of ministerial life, I must say that I understand why these policies are in place and that, for the most part, I agree with them.

These policies, as painful as they were for me to face and as hard as they were for me to accept, turned out to be the guideposts that pointed me in the direction God wanted me to go.

The man he used to help me see this was the counselor who walked me through the process of forgiveness I spoke about a few weeks ago. He asked me one question: “What did God call you to do—minister to his people or be tied to a church?” My answer: “Minister to his people.”

“Then,” he said, “stop working so hard to get another church! Let God lead you to the people he wants you to serve. If he wants you there for one Sunday, go for one on Sunday. If he wants you there longer, stay longer. Just go where God wants you to go and do what he asks you to do.”

That is how I have spent the last 15 years of my life. I go to “where two or three (mostly 20-30) are gathered in God’s name” and I worship with them, pray with them and share some words of encouragement. I have spoken at least once in 25 different churches since January 1, 2000.

Every service, every sermon, every handshake at the door and every conversation over lunch or coffee has been a step forward in the path of healing and restoration God mapped out for me. I have found God’s words to St. Paul to be absolutely true. God’s grace has been sufficient for me. His strength has been revealed in my weakness. I do not want to go through the hard times again, but I would not trade them for anything. I am who I am because of them.