Before I ever was pursuing ordination, I first explored being commissioned as a spiritual director. Because I am a bit quirky, in my own estimation, and perhaps that of many others, I didn’t quite look especially “commissionable” to some on the committee. Our interim pastor at the time reported a conversation she had had with one of the committee members who asked her, ” Do you think Kate is scattered?” My pastor, bless her, said, “I’ve never known a spiritual director who wasn’t because they keep all their channels open. If I ever need to know anything about what is going on within the church, I turn to Kate, who has her finger on the pulse.”
A niece of mine often posts that she is weird or quirky. Good! Join the club! The world is better for those who can live authentically. So live your “weirdness.” Not everyone is so blessed.
One of my tasks when I was in the ministry course that did in fact lead to my ordination, was to put together a portfolio. In one section, I used the following quote:
“HERE’S TO THE CRAZY ONES. THE MISFITS. THE REBELS. THE TROUBLEMAKERS. THE ROUND PEGS IN SQUARE HOLES. THE ONES WHO SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY. THEY’RE NOT FOND OF RULES. AND THEY HAVE NO RESPECT FOR THE STATUS QUO. YOU CAN QUOTE THEM, DISAGREE WITH THEM, GLORIFY OR VILIFY THEM. ABOUT THE ONLY THING YOU CAN’T DO IS IGNORE THEM. BECAUSE THEY CHANGE THINGS. THEY PUSH THE HUMAN FORCES. AND WHILE SOME MAY SEE THEM AS THE CRAZY ONES, WE SEE GENIUS. BECAUSE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE CRAZY ENOUGH TO THINK THEY CAN CHANGE THE WORLD, ARE THE ONES WHO DO.”—APPLE INC.
I complained a lot about hoops (more than I care to remember) that I jumped through to reach ordination. But I also have some compassion for the folks who were charged with considering my fitness for ministry. I could hardly blame them that they found me a mystery, or perhaps, more of a problem child. I even joked with my mentor that the song in “The Sound of Music” described my relationship with my committee: “How do you solve a problem like Maria?
How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?
How do you find a word that means Maria?
A flibbertigibbet! A will-o’-the wisp! A clown!”
So here’s to all those who by their nature live “outside the box,” who seek to live their authentic selves.
The invitation is open to share two cups of tea anytime at Hope’s Café or anywhere you share companionship and conversation.
May we bearers of hope, the “wait staff” at Hope’s Café, for each other and all those we encounter. Shalom, Kate
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