When I embarked on the journey to become a pastor, I didn’t realize the full extent of how much learning would be involved. There was License to Preach School, where I had to officially earn my license; there was seminary, three years of processing my believes through the multi-faceted lens of theological academia; there was teaching parish, a cohort of pastors that came together to talk candidly about their experiences in an effort to learn from each other; and then there was my residency, a three year program beyond seminary where I had to chronicle my experiences in real time for the sake of demonstrating how my ministry had evolved. Even now, the conference requires all pastors to continue their education by earning a certain number of “CEU’s” every year. These are earned by attending seminars or taking additional pastoral care courses. All this to say, I’ve realized that my learning is a life-long pursuit.

Another thing I’ve learned is that the life-long pursuit of learning is not at all limited to pastoral ministry. I am constantly learning as a spouse, as a parent, as a child, and as a member of the surrounding community. We all are! We all have the continuous opportunity to increase in knowledge and understanding about the people and the world around us, and we also have the opportunity grow in wisdom regarding our circumstances. The world is a much different place than it ever has been before, but thankfully, we are different people than we have been before. We carry with us the insights that we have gained through experience. Even our scars give us a greater sense of perspective as we greet each new situation with sharper eyes and more discerning hearts. 

What’s more, for all the knowledge, intelligence, or wisdom we may think we have acquired over time, there is still so much more for us to learn. Recently, I have witnessed God work in the life of the church, in the lives of my colleagues, friends, and family, and in my own life in ways that I never imagined. God is innovative and resilient despite the circumstances, despite a pandemic, despite pastoral transitions, and despite uncertainty over how to be the Church during all of this. God is constantly working, moving, growing, and structuring things according to His purpose, and it has been really awesome to witness. 

In all of my learning, the most wonderful thing I’ve learned is that I will never stop learning about God’s sovereignty— His ordering in the midst of our chaos. May this learning be a life-long pursuit for all of us.