Jim’s leaving caught me off guard.
Once I got an introductory taste (it seemed that someone had dropped a savory appetizer on my plate) of the school’s environment with its diverse cultures, I returned for more of the same day after day.
Still, these were not familiar waters. I felt unsure of myself much of the time and was clearly nowhere ready to plunge into the deep end. Although his own history in campus ministry was just barely out ahead of my own, my good campus sidekick Jim T served as a buffer of sorts. He always took the lead. My place was to follow, which certainly worked for me.
Still, for anyone launching into a vocation for which serving people is central, it is important to give time to reflect on whether a particular shoe fits well. “How am I best suited to serve? Is my disposition and are my skillsets compatible for serving this particular kind of community?” To his credit Jim had paused and pondered.
He realized that his sweet spot would best be realized in places where high school classrooms and chalk dust mesh together with eager young minds in lively pursuit of understanding. Jim was a teacher at heart. When a position opened in a local Christian Classical high school, Jim captured an interview and soon a new job. Crossing a fresh threshold of his own.
© 2023 Jerry Lout