One of the wonderful privileges I have is to be a part of accreditation and ordination interviews. Now, I know that these are not wonderful events for the person being interviewed, but for us on the interviewing panel, it is a great experience. I come away from each interview with the feeling that the people God has called into leadership for the future hold a great deal of promise. I end every day of interviews feeling that if I get hit by an ice cream truck (or whatever) tomorrow, the future of the church is in good hands.
Not long ago, we interviewed a wonderful candidate, who as part of the interview talked about loosing a spouse. The question was asked by a member of the panel, "So how did you deal with the loss? Where was God in your prayers for healing not being answered?"
The answer rocked me! Their reply was: "I simply remembered that it was not my first love that was gone, but my second love. My first love, Jesus, was still here, still strong, still present and still loving me."
I found myself praying right then and there that I would ever remember the source of my own first love. It is amazing how I need to ever be learning!
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