My wonderful alma mater, One Spirit Interfaith Seminary is working hard to let the world know about itself, and it’s graduates, and thework they/we are doing in the world…. thus the creation of a “why do i minister’ campaign on social media.
and while i freely admit to using social media as a consumer, i have been lax about filling it with my own messages of love, or even sharing what i do in the world. This simple little campaign has caused me to think about not ‘how i minister’ by ‘why i minister’ once again –
and how that has changed over the years.
If you asked me many years ago, i would have quietly under my breath said, “i feel called to the ministry”…and then years later, ‘i am called to minister’ would provoke much mediation and soul searching landing me at One Spirit – where 2 years afterwards, I would proclaim from the pulpit that it was to ‘bring a message of Love to a bruised and hurting world” – i still believe this, and still try my best to do this.
i went back to school to hone my skills as Spiritual Director and Interspiritual Counselor and found myself wading deeper into the waters of my personal rivers of tears and boxing with many shadows. I attended the Interspiritual Counseling Program offered by One Spirit and learned how to listen to my shadows, and those of others, at the same time as i listened to the light that surrounds us all. I gained even better listening skills. I grew in practical ways to be of service. We never stop growing or learning, the key is to be aware of it, humbly and scrupulously.
Why do i minister? the answer might be as simple ‘why do i breathe’? it is who i am now… but it is more – and yes feel called, but we are all called to give to this world with our uniqueness, we are all here to help, to bring hope and to affirm the holy. You too have been called. Your special gifts are needed, now more than ever. We all have them. Mine is called ‘ministry.’ is yours?
My job as minister? simple to remind you, and myself that we, all of us, whether we are furred, feathered, finned, scaled or skinned – if we walk or fly or swim — we are all holy. and we need to act like it.
For humans there is no more powerful reinforcement than belonging. and you belong. we all belong. together in our separate uniqueness. We belong together.
Why do i minister? For Compassion, Equity and Justice. For the inherent worth and dignity of all beings and the interconnected wheel of the cosmos, of which we are all a part. i minister for You, and for me. For we are loved. it is time we acted like it.
Reverend Lizzie 