An MVC teen once said to me, “You seem to have done so many things!  Is there anything that you haven’t done???”  I always thought of my life as somewhat simple, dull, and boring – but that comment made me think back through some of my job experiences and the things I learned through them.

              Janitor…  At National Penn Bank.  A great starter job at age 15.  Made $1.90 an hour.  I learned how to run a big shredding machine that shredded old bank documents.  I cleaned toilets and got stains out of carpets.  I changed lightbulbs in the time and temperature clock at the corner of Philadelphia and Reading Avenues in Boyertown.  And I learned to squeegee windows.  I learned how to be at the bottom of the totem pole – a servant.

Bass guitarist in a rock band…  I was in bands for about three years and only played a few gigs – enough to show me that “glory” wasn’t what it was cracked up to be!

Bank teller…  I learned all about handling money and traveler’s checks and dealing with customers, even difficult ones, in a friendly way.

Bank vault worker…  Wrapping coin and fixing the wrapper when it broke down.  Working alone in the quiet for long periods of time -- an interesting discipline.

Metal worker and packager in a furniture factory…where I learned work with burly tattooed dudes and rough women and get accustomed to swearing on the part of both.  I also learned how to spot weld and grind welds and shrink wrap stuff…and to deal with monotony and understand the “American Joe” who had to do the same.

Police officer…  Yup – I worked on the campus police force at our college.  It was a glorified security job, but we did receive police training in certain aspects of law, self-defense (got some basic traning in jiu-jitsu), and weaponry (we had to qualify in the use of a nightstick and a .38 pistol) and first aid.  Learned about handling authority and crisis situations and keeping my cool.  I also learned how to direct traffic and organize simple security and safety concerns for large campus events.

Singer…  Traveled for a year or so with a gospel quartet.  We organized and ran youth rallies and ministered at churches and camps.  I also learned a lot about “politics” as I got to see what was going on behind the scenes in a number of churches and in my own college.

Chocolate-maker…  The infamous chocolate factory (Blommer’s in East Greenville, PA), where I learned everything from unloading the raw beans and roasting them to the making and packaging of chocolate chips and chocolate bars.  I also learned to drive a fork lift, how to move railroad cars by hand, and to perform some lab procedures necessary in the making of chocolate.  I also learned how much “garbage” goes into food products – and I don’t mean sugar and fats.  I mean real garbage…  Let’s not go down that road…

Pastor…  All of a pastor’s life experiences come into play as he seeks to relate to other people – and the life experiences of the pastor’s people add to his.  I’ve learned about various life problems and various hobbies.  I’ve learned about pets and poker.  I’ve learned about fishing and flying.  I’ve learned about cancer and eating disorders and medications and how to be comfortable in very uncomfortable situations.  Most sobering, I think, is that I’ve seen death a number of times.  I’ve learned how to listen, to counsel, to organize, to grieve, to celebrate, to lead, to speak in public, to persuade, to identify and assess “characters”, to show mercy, to be gracious, to raise money, to encourage people toward change and repentance, and I think more than anything --  to pray and be patient.

Fabric cutter…  For a brief time I worked cutting fabric in an upholstery business to supplement my income from ministry.  Believe it or not, that was the first time I really learned how to use scissors correctly (I was 36)!  My boss had to teach me!  It was also interesting to learn how different fabrics works and how furniture is made.

Teacher and educator…  I also supplemented my income for a number of years teaching home school students how to write essays and papers using courses that I developed.  I also taught some Shakespearean literature and history and speech courses.  Likewise, I developed and taught two courses at Pacific Islands Bible College back in 2000 – and learned a little bit there about cross-cultural communication…

Umpire…  I learned the rules of baseball – an interesting exercise.  But I am also learning how to be decisive, how to be bold, how to be gracious but firm, how to handle angry people and conflict, how to handle authority, how to be outgoing and friendly and set the tone for an event…

Maybe my life hasn’t been all that boring!  But neither is yours!  Think back through your own life and the “gift experiences” (I’ve just listed “jobs” here;  experience goes way beyond that!) that God has given you in molding you to be who you are.  Each experience can become a tool to relate to others for the kingdom!