Didactic and Divine

At a young age, there are many things that a child may wish to become when they grow up. Some might want to become doctors or astronauts or scientists. Others might desire to become police officers or pilots or ballerinas. At the age of ten, I remember wanting to become two things when I grew up: a teacher, and a priest.

Around that age, I remember playing with my action figures, setting them up in a ‘classroom’ scenario where I played the role of teacher and they, by no choice of their own, became my students. During this childhood play time, I did not only give them lessons to learn, but I also pretended to give them exams afterward. I was probably a little over nine.

Not long after that when, again, I had to move to another school — a Catholic school, no less — the other of my childhood dreams was incepted. To begin with, I had always felt a closeness to God even before I left the clutches of traditional religion, but having been exposed to the lives of the Catholic saints through a book lent to me by one of my teachers, a desire to live for and serve God arose in my heart. Priesthood became a dream goal of mine since the year 1985.

Although I pursued neither a degree in education nor one in theology, I ended up living out these two childhood dreams nevertheless. And if one had the privilege of taking a glimpse into my life story, they would see that the fruition of these dreams were only made possible because the God who planted them in me was diligent and consistent in bringing me to places where His plans would unfold and manifest.

The longing to become a teacher was buried under years of pursuing other things, and of not knowing who I was as God made me. The yearning to become a priest was eroded by a worldly lifestyle when I reached my twenties, although I was still regularly involved in some capacity in the churches I attended.

It wasn’t until the mid-2000s that God brought me to a place where my spiritual sensitivity was heightened and I could begin to hear Him call me back to the dreams He had placed in my heart many, many years ago.

In 2008, I felt the spiritual prompting of the Lord to start taking young teenage men under my wing for discipleship and fellowship. I followed His lead and became a small group leader of seven teen boys. Fast forward to today, 11 years later. I am still the small group leader of The Kingdom Builders, handling 14 young adult men with varying struggles and life issues that they are learning to navigate in the presence of the Heavenly Father.

In 2009, I began to hear the Holy Spirit whisper in my ear that I am to become a pastor. He also spoke to me about quitting my five-figure-salaried job at a publishing company and start volunteering in my church. I did all of the above. Fast forward to today, ten years later. I have indeed become a pastor (a little over six years now and running) after much toil and trial, and after much more pruning and growing.

Two childhood dreams. These took time to grow and become reality in my life. Since 2007, I have had opportunity after opportunity to teach others the Word of God through speech and in deed, as well as platforms and privileges given to me to be a sub-shepherd under Jesus, taking care of and nurturing fellow believers toward spiritual maturity.

All of us have dreams. They are most evident and identifiable during our childhood. Many of them come straight from the heart of God. Others come from our own personal — mostly selfish — desires. My bishop often shares an adage from the pulpit when he speaks about the fulfillment of dreams in one’s life: “A dream from the heart of man leads to fantasy; while a dream from the heart of God leads to destiny.”

These dreams I had as a child — to become didactic and to pursue the divine — were, for me, clearly supernaturally mandated. The years between the sowing and the reaping of these dreams may have been a journey through rough and rugged roads, vicious and victorious vibes, tearful and triumphant trails; but being here, now, standing at the precipice of an even bigger unfolding of another chapter in the context of these dreams, makes me realize that process is worth the prize.

I wouldn’t want to have it any other way.