Following your devotions, return to your workplace. If it is allowed, pour yourself some coffee or cold drink. If that isn’t possibility, take one outside. However, do your best to avoid all human interactions at this time.
Now, in three to five year chunks, review your life from the time you sensed your call to ministry. Note the major factors, people, challenges that moved you in one direction or another. For example, a chance visitation of a missionary to our college campus and how his words affected me, was significant in my reflections and led to my going into the Peace Corps before seminary. Don’t be overly descriptive but do note the salient points in these various turning points in your journey. Carry it through what happened to you in seminary and as you began to practice ministry. If there was a lull or break in that journey, note that as well. Take your time and do lots of just musing and reflecting on your life in the process. If you are married and/or have a family, that whole process and how it affected your journey should be noted as well.
If you still have time before the lunch break, for the purpose of this exercise, assume that God had a hand in these twists and turns in your journey. Jot down some possible reflections on the patterns and clues evident in your journey. Even if you are not used to thinking of God’s involvement in your life in this manner, there is value in looking through this lens at least for now. You are the only one that has to see this. Even Deists can find value in looking at the patterns of their life for clues that might suggest directions in the future.
Now, go find that lunch partner. Especially if s/he is of a different denomination or theological stance, I think you will enjoy engaging him or her in a conversation about what you are doing. You will also find that as you do that, further thoughts will occur to you in the process.
