Thanksgiving is its Own Special Burden

It is the day after Thanksgiving and I’m definitely feeling thankful. Surrounded by the natural beauty of N.E. Alabama, a warm home, kids all home from school, dad home from work, I’m feeling so thankful that it makes it hard to believe we’re actually going to leave Gadsden Alabama. My mind still fills with things to do, new peaks to strive for at our Gadsden CP Church and new landscaping projects for the front yard. Yesterday we met a neat couple at our Community Thanksgiving Dinner. They're looking for a church, he has some worship leading experience. It took a few minutes for security to pry me off their arm.

It may not be right or fair to the rest of the community we minister to, but young pastors of small churches tend to go weak in the knees when they meet young families, with worship leading experience who are looking for a church. It’s sort of like finding steak in the freezer. Your mouth starts watering immediately. It may not give the appearance of godliness you expect of a pastor, but it’s the truth. God’s Kingdom includes young and old, rich and poor, red and yellow, black and white and you love every single one. Still, the chance to minister to people just like you is a special treat.

My thought though is this. It hard to walk away from steak and Gadsden, has been steak to our family. Up till now it has been hard to think about leaving, but there has been plenty else to worry about. But Thanksgiving the holiday has passed. Christmas the holiday will be just an interlude before taking that left turn out of the driveway and pointing the McMillan caravan west and right now what I feel is sadness that I will not get to be the one that ministers to this new family. Their kids won’t grow up around our home. I won’t spend countless Sunday mornings tuning up with this musician worshiper. And that’s hard.

I think though, that’s how it’s supposed to be. The ministry juices aren’t supposed to stop flowing, for any of us. And that makes everyday a little harder and everyday a little better.

Thanks be to God.

Aaron