I am a firm believer in the priesthood of all believers, that all of us are just as close to God as the next. There are myriad ways to serve God faithfully Monday to Friday that do not involve the church.
That's not to say that what we do during the week doesn't matter. It matters a great deal. But, all God's children have a place in the choir.
Case in point: someone in my running group is a faithful Christian and very involved in her church. On a recent run together, she told me how important running was to her as a way to have centered prayer time and to open herself up to God. Sometimes she does so through music, other times simply by being open to the silence and hearing God's voice.
You'd think I resonated with her experience, that I shared with her my own holy moments on the pavement.
Instead, I realized how I wanted what she had. I realized that so often the church means work to me. And that means sometimes God becomes work to me, too.
You would think that working as a pastor would bring you closer to God. Or even if it's not the "higher calling" perhaps it would bring you at least as close to God as other people.
I'm just grateful for all those non-pastors out there who can speak to me in ways I need to hear, and can remind me of a different calling than my own.