Lets Talk About Being You

Lets Talk About Being You

I am a mere semester away from being done with seminary. After three and a half years of theological study I find myself in the final months of my education and reality of becoming a pastor is right around the corner. All over Iceland I have been asking the questions, “What advice do you have for a soon to be pastor?” and all over Iceland the response has almost always been the same, “be yourself.”

At first this was an unsatisfying answer. It seemed like a platitude and a pat on the head. But then the next person I asked said the same thing, and the next one, and the next one, and I started paying attention. That sentence has been rolling around in my head because the more I think about it the more I think about how it applies to more than new pastors. It is a piece of advice that should be applied universally.

Be yourself. Don’t pretend to be something you aren’t. Surround yourself with people who have skills and knowledge that you don’t have. Be confident in the things that you are good and be willing to be a support for other people. Be yourself.

In a few months I will be interviewing for jobs at churches, and at the core of this interview I am beginning to understand that the questions will all be pointing to, how will you be who you are? Which means now is the time to start thinking about that question. In my preaching, how will I use who I am to be faithful in preaching the Gospel? In pastoral care, how will I use who I am to connect with people and meet them where they are? In all the duties of the pastoral office, how will I use who I am to lead a church?

This question extends far beyond the office of pastor. When people show up in life in authentic genuine ways we can all work together the way that God designed us to. I invite you to also spend some time thinking about the ways that you can live even more fully into being yourself. How will you use your specific gifts to help those around you today?

Creator God, you made each and every one of us. Help us to remember that we have skills that can be used to further the message of your life for creation. Help us to not focus on the areas where we are not gifted and instead help us to surround ourselves with people who have gifts that complement ours. Help us to live in harmony with each other helping one another in love. Amen.