November 15, 2006

Where do I belong?

I have the week off for continuing education – it doesn’t make much sense to me that a seminary student doing an internship gets continuing education leave, but it’s part of my terms of call for my internship, so I’m taking it.

I’m back on the seminary campus and it’s weird.

I don’t belong with my classmates anymore. They are starting to think about what they want to do after graduation and filling out paperwork for searching for a call. Some are starting to get senioritis.

I don’t belong with the class below me yet either. They are in classes I’ve already taken and they still have ords looming before them (I’ve passed all of mine – yeah!). Next year they will be my classmates and we’ll graduate together.

I’m starting to realize that I belong or rather identify more with the class that just graduated, with the people who are in their first calls and figuring things out as they go along. One of the great things about my internship is that I’m treated more like an associate pastor than an intern. And so I’m figuring things out as I go along and get to know these people, this pastor, and this church more and more.

But what is it about this need to belong, to identify with others?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i think it's the fundamental call to be in community. god said it's not good that we should be alone, and god in god's essence is communal, and jesus came to dwell among us...no wonder it's in our nature to seek out others, to belong. we want to feel like we're not alone.

Jules said...

Hi Emily. I'm a PC(USA) first-call pastor in my third year. I'm also 40-something with two almost-grown kids, so I'm at least third career!

It's RevGals Delurking Week, so I'm checking out blogs I haven't read much before. I wanted you to know that somebody knew read you. Thanks for blogging!

Anonymous said...

Emily - I read your words describing the dance you are doing and think of circles, intersecting at different places. And you are dancing in the midst of those places. Your year is already a rich source of grist for the reflection mill....enjoy!