It was a beautiful sunny weekday, and my kids and I found ourselves at our favorite hangout spot, Disney. Before our move to Sunny Florida, we lived in the snow tundra of Rochester, NY. Before our move, I made a plan for me to work and save all my pennies to have a year of Disney. This would include a family annual pass with a plan that would make every visit very intentional, allowing us to cross off every ride on our list. So it took me about 18 months, thanks to COVID. The year we got our passes, I found myself in a sweet place in life, where all three of my kids were in virtual schooling, which gave us lots of flexibility. If we worked hard, we could take off a day and enjoy the perks of our annual pass. One of the cool things about Disney is that you never know who you will meet during the occasional visit.
On this particular day, we were making a quick restroom stop before we were off to our next ride when I spotted a familiar face. It was a Christian singer that I used to listen to as a teenager. I turned to my daughter, asking her if I would be embarrassing myself by introducing myself. I don’t get embarrassed very easily, but I do take into account how many times I’ve embarrassed my children. They’ve survived, and they will probably have more moments like this with me by their side. To my surprise, she encouraged me to go and say hello. So I walked up to her as she sat in the shade with her Minnie ears on, and I asked her if she was who I thought she was. She said yes! Immediately, I began to tell her what an impact her music made on my life, and how I just loved her voice. A that very moment, her husband had come out to meet her, along with their daughter. I panicked a little more because her husband actually went to the same Bible college I went to, and he was very well known on campus for his leading worship. She introduced us, and I informed him that I was a fellow alum and that I’ve seen him lead worship from time to time. In absolute kindness, he asked me what I was up to since then. I mumbled a few things about my time there, life since, and then said, “Yeah, but nothing in ministry.”
Hesitant, I fumbled my response; this was always a tough question for me. I was 20 years removed from my bible college experience, and I always felt defeated by the idea that I never finished. Up until then, I had never really had full-time work in a ministry-based environment. Don’t get me wrong, I have volunteered in almost every facet of ministry, but there was something about working in a position of leadership that felt like accomplishment for me. Where I could not only grow, but that I could impart to others and watch them grow in their faith and leadership as well. After my response, he looked at me, paused, stepped back, and pointed to all three of my kids and said, “Looks like ministry to me”. I was so embarrassed, and I know that it was not his intention, but the moment that I was trying to avoid was staring me in the face. I instantly pivoted in the conversation and agreed. I am in full-time ministry: my family. We shared some more conversation, and I asked for a selfie because I’ll never miss a moment for a picture (ask my kids).
As we walked away, I couldn’t help but feel this sting in my chest that just gnawed at me the rest of the day. Why did I say that? I know my family is a ministry, but why didn’t I just say that? I wrestled all day with the conversation, eventually bringing it before God in prayer. In prayer, I was reminded of a scripture, “Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life.” Proverbs 4:23. Although I wish my response would’ve been different, it came from my heart. That was a hard truth I needed to wrestle with. Did it mean that in my heart, I didn’t believe my family was ministry, no. Did it mean that in my heart, I thought a leadership position was ministry, yes. The great struggle was that both were true, but look what the rest of that chapter said: “Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established.” Proverbs 4:25-26, although both sentiments were true, the scripture called me to carefully consider the path of my feet to truly be settled and established, and that, my friends, is what stood out to me. Looking forward meant looking to my future; my family would always be right in front of me, no matter what my pursuit was. God has called some of us to live a life a leadership in the institution of the church, but if we are looking at what the church is, it’s in the heart of every believer. In this specific season of my life, I was given this sweet and beautiful opportunity to focus on the ministry of my family, and I couldn’t see it because I was caught up in finding my value elsewhere.
This may have felt like a chance encounter meeting an instrumental artist, her alum husband, and their sweet daughter in the happiest place on earth. For me, it was not; it felt divine. Not because of who I met, but because of the rich words of wisdom they both gave me that day. I don’t know what they had to walk through to gain that kind of perspective, but that day, they helped me open my eyes to what was right in front of me. I was already wrestling with purpose and direction in life, and that question helped reveal some things in my heart that needed to be addressed, so I didn’t miss what was right in front of my face. I not only tuned into my first ministry my family I started taking steps in the direction of preparation. Since that encounter, I have helped my children achieve good grades, honor roll, great bible study methods, and I have even taught them to cook a few meals here and there. My family encouraged me to finish bible college and pursue a bachelor's in biblical studies, one of my greatest passions. Pacing myself in this season because I don’t feel urgency at the expense of my family. God is faithful in the way that he speaks to his children, and I will forever be grateful for that Disney day encounter. That subtle and gentle encounter changed me for the better and formed me for God’s best.