Has anyone ever told you to “turn your problems over to God”? What exactly do they mean by that? I think when most people offer up that piece of advice, they are encouraging you to not worry or be anxious about something. I don’t know about you, but “turning it over to God,” doesn’t immediately bring me peace and calm when the storms of anxiousness are stirring. I’ve prayed for thousands of things in my lifetime that it seems like God did not answer, so why would I turn over more problems to God that I could just try to solve myself?
You might be thinking to yourself, “wow, this is a pretty cynical blog post coming from our intern pastor, what is going on”? This past week I submitted the final batch of paperwork needed to be eligible for the ELCA Assignment Process in February. What is the assignment process? Well, it is very much like the NFL draft. Some people, in high places, don’t like that analogy, but it is the best analogy that can be made, so I am going to roll with it. All of the graduating Lutheran seminarians across the United States fill out a slew of paperwork that is sent to all of the bishops of the 65 synods across the US. Those bishops get together over a couple of days in February and are given a “selection order” based on the needs of their synods and regions, the more pastors they need, the more selections they receive. Bishops begin selecting graduating seniors for their region of the country and then the applicant receives a phone call, letting them know what area of the country they will be serving. The whole process is done in conjunction with a lot of prayer, discernment, and the power of the Holy Spirit, which makes it a little different than the NFL draft.
So, by mid-February I will know the region of the country in which I will receive my first pastoral call and then in early March I should find out in which of the 65 synods I will be serving. At that point, I can begin the call process with congregations in that synod that are looking for a first call pastor. If I’m lucky, I will be able to be ordained and installed in a congregation in early summer. Some graduates, like our previous intern, Lucas, found the process can take a lot longer than that.
So why do I mention all of this? Because, I am a planner by nature, and all of this uncertainty is causing a lot of anxiety in my life and the life of my family. I could try to “work the system,” by wheeling and dealing with synodical bishops to get things to go my way, but the risk involved with that kind of politic-ing would only add more stress. In this instance, and maybe for the first time in my life, I found peace in the phrase “turn it over to God,” which is derived from Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
By releasing the stress of the unknown in my life, I have been able to enjoy this process more and have more free time to enjoy my last five months with you all at Lord of Life. There are days where I still wonder where my first call will be, but I trust that God will provide in due time. What are the things that you are tired of trying to control? What is bringing you stress and anxiety in this Advent season? Are you willing to try to “give it over to God?”