I needed time away from my job. Desperately. I was a pastor at a small church, a position I’d once felt called to, but now I was in the midst of a spiritual crisis.
That Sunday, I walked into a neighboring church to clear my head. I was plagued with doubt—my faith and beliefs, shaky and unstable. It was one of the darkest times of my life. Had I made a mistake becoming a pastor? Did I even belong in ministry? Where are you, Lord? My prayer life had been so powerful. And now? I couldn’t seem to hear God at all.
But I was late and the service was well underway. Discouraged, I turned and left—tempted to skip worship altogether. As I reached my car another church down the street caught my eye and drew me in.
I took a seat in the back pew and scanned the bulletin. The sermon for the day was titled ‘Conflict’. Well, that seems timely…like a heavenly message, I thought. Then I previewed the scripture reading: II Corinthians 3:3. I opened my Bible. All at once, I caught my breath. I was staring at the very passage used at my ordination. “Show that you are a letter from Christ, written not with ink but with the spirit of the living God.” To see it again reminded me of all that I believed in. An overwhelming peace fell over me. What could be more powerful?
Just then, the pastor stood up. “I’m sorry,” he announced. “There’s a typo in our bulletin today. We will be reading from 2 Corinthians, Chapter 10 instead.”
A typo? Not for me. This time I heard God loud and clear, still calling me without a doubt to serve. Yes, I was right where I belonged.
