My "Job"

First of all, I love my job!! What I love even more is my ministry. There are a lot of "cool" jobs out there. Like the guy who gets paid to live on a beach and monitor the coral reef. That's a pretty sweet gig. Or, the freelance trumpet player in Orlando that makes 6 figures playing for Disney events when needed. That'd be awesome. But, my job is different. The hours are long. The weekends are non existent. The pay, well, it is what it is. The vacation time is limited... BUT, I love what I do. I do what God has called me to do. I think I am beginning to understand what I need to be doing in my short time here on earth.
I get to worship God and teach others how to worship. That's freaking awesome!! I've been at Fairhaven almost 5 years now and I'm realizing that I have a huge responsibility to the kids and students I work with weekly. We talk about worship. We practice worship. We look in the Bible for ways to worship. We do, we do, we do. Here's the kicker though... They are watching me. These students and kids watch me on Saturday nights and Sunday mornings. They want to see if I'm for real. They want to know if I'm all talk or if I actually believe what I am telling them. They want to see my passion written all over my expressions. They want me to be real.
This is a tough challenge. Everytime I fail in my spiritual journey, I realize I am not just letting myself down. I have to be better. I have to be a role model... Really?!?! Me?!?! I know the unread chapters of my life. I know my struggles. I know when I fall short of the expectations that God has for me. I'm a screw up. I'm a sinner. I need grace.
But... I am an example. I have to be. I've been called to this ministry. It's important to me!! And when a student (or group of students) start to show glimmers of worship, I weep. I can't help it. It's so awesome to watch these kids worship our God!!
I have a group of kids that are my "favorites". Not that I love kids more than other kids, but this particular grade was my group when I got here. These kids were in 4th grade when I got here. I was in charge of the 4th and 5th grade group. No 5th graders from that group still go to Fairhaven. So, these are my kids. They are now in 8th grade. They lead the MSM Praise Team on a weekly basis. Wednesday, 2 weeks ago, I started realizing how much they've grown. One of the girls on mic was worshipping God during rehearsal. It wasn't fake. It wasn't put on. It wasn't a show. I looked up to the front of the room and she was worshipping!! I lost it. I couldn't control it. I started to cry. Here was one of "my kids" leading her peers in worship. This is awesome!! It was one of coolest things for me!!
That one moment makes my "job" the coolest thing in the world. There are so many moments like this... everytime I get an encouragement card from one of these kids, it comes at a time when I need a little spiritual pick-me-up. These students get me excited about what I do. This ministry is freaking awesome!!
Just my thoughts...