Lessons Learned…
Round 2 of seminary has begun. Last year stretched me beyond my wildest imagination. The thing is, it wasn’t just because of the academics or the theological issues raised during class…
Sometime during the year in every class (except Greek), the professor would talk about the unpredictability of life and then wind up saying, “What are you going to say to the couple in the hospital who just lost their newborn baby?”
It didn’t become personal until second semester. Every time someone would ask that question after finding out about Jaron, I wanted to stand up and shout, with every ounce of my being, “Yes – what do you say to that couple!?! Please tell me!” Unbeknownst to my professors, that had become more than a rhetorical question.
I’ve learned you really can’t say anything. Being there and showing you genuinely care is more important than trying to figure out some profound thing that only makes you sound naive in the end. Above all else, listen! That’s a trait that is far too absent in ministers across the nation. I wish there was some way to teach listening as a class. If there were, I think it would have to be a required course for every ministry candidate.
Round 1 of seminary was buttressed by life experiences that threw everything into turmoil. I wonder what is going to be thrown at me this year. I’m not too worried about the classes themselves. Yes, the readings are never ending, the tests will chew me up and spit me out, and I’m sure I’ll have some kind of dream about Greek principal parts attacking me in my sleep. That’s not what I’m curious about. What kind of life experiences are going to come my way this year that my seminary training will somehow supplement? God got my attention through heartache last year. Maybe He’ll use something more happy this year.
I’m with you on the listening thing. I think there has to be a way to teach it- maybe starting with something like SME peer groups, where a moderator will say “You have told us what you think. Why don’t you take a break and listen for awhile?” there has to be a way. Listening is desperately needed.