my call to ministry

“What’s with the pile of nails?” Pete’s father asked, while repressing a sly grin.

“I want to be like you, Daddy. I want to build things.” Pete said intently while once again unsuccessfully hammering another nail into a two-by-four.

“You’ve got to be careful, Petee. I didn’t start using a hammer until I was much older than you. Wouldn’t you rather play Nintendo or something? That seems more a nine year old thing to do.” Pete’s father said, now noticing that Pete’s aim left much to be desired.

“No! I want to do what you do. I want to be YOU when I grow up.” he replied sharply.

“Well son, do you think that I could give you a few pointers?”

“REALLY!?! Yeah, I’d love that!” Pete exclaimed, his face now lit up like a Christmas tree.

“Well Pete, the first thing to remember is you don’t have to hit the nail so hard. It’s more important to hit it straight. So hold the hammer a little higher up the handle and tap it in. Eventually, you’ll get better aim and you won’t bend so many nails.”

“How about I hold the nail here for you and hold your hand while you hammer until you get the hang of it?”

“No thanks Dad. I think I can do it all on my own.”

Pete positioned the nail on the wood carefully but still held it with a slant as he concentrated on swinging the hammer straight.

“Here son. Let me help you a bit. I’ll hold the nail here so that you can think only about hitting it straight.”

Pete nodded his head again, tongue now slightly out of his mouth (which he does whenever he is concentrating intensely). He carefully brought the hammer from the nail backwards to ensure straight delivery. And then, with one big swing, he slammed the hammer down…right onto his father’s hand.

“OW! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?” Pete’s father shouted while looking at his hand.

Pete’s face went red as tears began to stream down his face. He dropped the hammer and ran as fast as he could upstairs to his room.

Pete’s father followed him upstairs. He spoke softly this time – just loud enough to be heard through the door and over his sobbing and crying.

“Sorry Petee. I didn’t mean to yell at you. I was hurt and surprised that you hit me but I’m okay. Can you come out for a sec?”

After a few moments, the sobbing got quieter and the door began to open. Pete peeked his head out to see if his dad was still there and then brushed his sleeve over his face to wipe off the tears and hide his cried-out eyes.

“I’m s-s-sorry, D-dad.” Pete said quietly while another tear began to drip off his cheek.

Pete’s dad reached out and held his son for a moment as he began to sob once again.

“It’s okay son. It’s okay. Come with me. Let me show you something.”

Pete followed his dad as he led him down the stairs, outside and into the garage. He then open a rolled up piece of paper and showed it to Pete.

“What’s this?” Pete asked. “And why are you showing me?”

“It’s the addition to the garage,” he replied. “And you’re going to help me build it.”

“I don’t even know how to read your plans Dad. And besides, you saw how badly I nail things.” Pete’s initial excitement began to wane as he spoke.

“Well son. Let me worry about the plans. I’ll help you with the nailing. You just need to hammer one at a time…”

“But what if I miss again and wreck the nails?” Pete interrupted.

“Don’t worry Petee. We’ve got lots of nails.” Pete’s father said, with a warm, “dad” smile on his face.

“Thanks Dad. I love you too.”

In a way, God is asking each of us to help build something. While it isn’t something concrete like a garage, it is something equally real. It is the Kingdom of God.

I’ve often wondered what I would have said if I were Moses leading the people from Egypt. While I’m sure that I’d have been scared, I sure hope I wouldn’t have said no. I’d have missed the miracle of the Red Sea. The miracle of the cloud and fire. The miracle of the manna and quail falling each day from the sky.

Or what about the disciples? I’m sure they were scared. But if they hadn’t gone, they’d have missed out on everything!

If God asked you to go with Him to do some miracles, who among us would say no?!?

Yet, that is what He is asking of us every day. He asks us to come along and help do His work of building a Kingdom. Along the way, we will be part of some miracles. Some will happen to us. And some will happen through us. Like Pete, we might feel underqualified for the job. We might even fail and do some harm. But God’s voice will always quietly encourage us forward. We don’t have to succeed in our eyes because God has the plans and He’ll make good on us. Just one nail at a time is all He’s asking for.