A four letter word

Pride: a feeling or deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one's own achievements, the achievements of those with whom one is closely associated, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired.

This gnarly four (well five) letter word, is one thing that you don't realize that you have until it's hurt. We just got done with a pastor's conference here at the church - last week it was the youth...we're one busy little church sometimes. Ok... back to pride... well, this pastor's conference had the focus on teaching the pastors both how to spiritually and practically take care of their families and their "flocks" in the realm of finances, with a deep emphasis on running their own business. You know the whole "teach a man to fish", because our pastors really struggle in that area probably more than any other. So... needless to say, me being little miss, "I've graduated from an American university with a degree in business and I have to admit I don't know a lot things... but business I know", I was slotted to help teach part of the conference. Then as things progressed in the planning area, I was informed that Geoffrey, one of the kids who was sponsored for years and just graduated from business school, was actually going to cover all the teaching that I was thinking I was going to do. Now, to say that my pride was wounded would be an understatement. It's like rationally speaking I knew: 1) I had just come off of the youth conference and teaching this one would probably have done me in, 2) Geoffrey is a guy and a Ugandan, two things that I obviously am not and when you're teaching a group of Ugandan pastors, that's definitely a plus to be one or both of those things, especially when you're teaching about money, 3) he was someone who was put through school kind of indirectly through the church and therefore it's only right that he used his education to be involved in ministry. I was pretty much having my own little temper tantrum about this for a couple of days, and really it's only through God kind of going "Do I need to pull over!?" that I got an attitude adjustment. The reality is that even though he didn't teach necessarily what I would have taught or in the same manner I would have taught it, it was perfect for the guys at the conference and they all walked away with tangible ways on how to support themselves, be lights in the community through their businesses, and they heard it from someone who I think they took seriously.

I guess the bottom line is that it doesn't matter where you come from, your age, color, gender, it matters what God has called you to do, and who you're called to do it to. I'm learning that my lot in life here in Uganda isn't to teach vital business principles to Ugandan pastors (go figure :) ), it's to teach something else to a whole other set of people. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1, "We constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of HIS calling". It's not about what I think MY calling is at all, but to live according to His calling, His purposes, and be so obsessed with bringing Him the glory that it doesn't matter if I'm the one in front, or who I'm in front of, it doesn't matter what piece of paper I have hanging on my wall, it matters about humbly coming before Him to be His servant be it in a board room, a church sanctuary, in a coffee shop, or under some tree in the middle of nowhere.