Do It Anyway

I’ve been to a lot of North Carolina Music Educator’s Conferences and sat through countless hours of workshops, but until yesterday I’d never been to an ordination service in the middle of the conference. Here’s how it happened.

Confession: I’m terrible with Facebook Invites. For some reason, I often don’t see my FB invites until it’s too late to plan to attend the event. Such was the case with yesterday’s ordination. I hadn’t seen the FB invite until yesterday morning when I opened my computer to check in to my workshop and FB told me that I had an event happening near me. When I clicked on the event, I was somewhat shocked to see that, indeed, the event was happening near me. In fact, it was happening one block away from where I’ve practically lived for the past three days.

As if that wasn’t interesting enough, the event was scheduled to happen during an hour when I didn’t have a workshop. The chances of that being the case were slim to none; there have been workshops offered every business hour since Saturday at 9am! And so…I decided that I would attend my first mid-conference ordination service. I’m so glad that I did.

Not only was I able to worship in a beautiful sanctuary and remember my ordination in another beautiful sanctuary, but I was also able to see a couple of friends whom I hadn’t seen in many years and together support God’s call on the life of another woman in ministry. I can think of few things more sacred than that.

While the entire service was quite meaningful, there was one particular moment during the charge to the candidate that reached beyond the candidate and straight into my heart.

"People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and sincere, people may deceive you. Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today will often be forgotten. Do good anyway.
Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway.
In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway."
--Mother Teresa

I cried.
And I silently prayed that my friend would remember those words when times got hard.
And I silently prayed that I would do the same.
For you see, friends, life and ministry do not just happen inside the churches where Reverends are called out and affirmed,
But also in everyday life, in everyday circumstances, in everyday places,
Like the schools for which I have been at a conference learning to be a better Reverend teacher.