The Worst Thing?

 My wife’s cousin’s husband said that he was told that the worst thing in life is to be born a child of a minister.  My siblings might not say this but I will.  They are more unusual but they wouldn’t have survived in life without the church.  I’ve struggled without it.  But it’s a curse I didn’t wish on my kids.  No regrets.  Not now anyway.  I’ve had my doubts and without help from my Angels I am convinced I wouldn’t be here.  

But is it that bad for children of ministers?  It depends.  Every profession has its hazards for family.  But I look at life now and say what is is.  I can’t change anything at 73, but I can change HOW I see life.  I see life so differently now.  I FEEL differently about life.  I see life differently from most.  

But to say it is a curse might be stretching things a bit.  I had something written for this morning and decided to delete it.  I don’t delete often, but once in a great while I’ll write something one day and read it the next and decide my frame of mind wasn’t very good that day.  If I write something one day and read it the next I’ll see how I feel about reading what I wrote.  My frame of reference can change from day to day.  

But is it a curse?  It just all depends on how close to the church the child of a minister stays.  I had to learn the hard way the church wasn’t for me.  In fact I think I knew this from a fairly early age.  But where in the world would I fit in?  Even with the help of Angels I never found my place in the world.  In fact for a long time they separated me even further.  But I knew where I would spend eternity if I took the alternative way out of life.  They left me with no choice.

But still the question remains, is it a curse?  I say it just depends.  It might be best if ministers didn’t have families but can marry.  But families are often the result of marriage.  I don’t have an answer for this question.  Of all the professions ministers’ kids have it most difficult.  But a lot depends on the church and community to which it belongs.  It just depends.  Life can be a crapshoot, especially when it comes to kids.  One just doesn’t know.  I would say the dice are loaded against the children of ministers.  But even loaded dice don’t roll the way it is expected.  A lot depends on whom those kids marry.  

I’m not an expert about children of ministers.  I’ve given thought to ministering to such children, but their numbers are relatively few.  Only by the grace of God in life these kids survive.  In my case it took intervention of Angels.  Yet, I still struggled.  But afterwards it was unbelief I struggled with the most.  It only took 25 years to find those who believed me.  And even still I find unbelief.  

I just say the children of ministers need a lot of care.  I found it in my wife.  But not all children are as blessed.  I don’t have an answer.  It’s in part why I smoke a pipe.  I find the world a very stressful place without it.  My pipe this morning is my Alpha pipe and my tobacco is Old Professor.  My coffee this morning is from Trader Joe’s.  Thank you for your time and Peace to each one of you.

Dave