By: Paul Balducci
Like many who went before me, I also attended an institution of higher learning without a clue what I was going to do with my life. I knew it was a good idea to get a college degree and I accomplished this taking the least amount of credit hours possible to earn a bachelor’s degree. Although I knew a few people with very specific goals and a clear path to get there, most of my classmates also seemed largely undecided about what to do with themselves after college.
When I was nearing the end of my college career, I sought wisdom from Dennis McBride, Sr., a man I respected and considered very wise. I felt certain he would be able to guide me in the right direction. I shared with him my thoughts about the future and my concern at the total lack of direction I had for my life. “What should I be doing? Do you have a sense of direction for me?” I asked. Dennis listened to me and gave me a very short but helpful response. “I don’t know” he said, “But you’ve got to do something.”
In that moment I understood Dennis did not have the answer to all of life’s questions, or maybe Dennis knew it was better for me to grow as a man by making some decisions on my own rather than being told what to do. During my conversation with Dennis, he said something else that weighed on me and didn’t make me feel very good about myself at the time. Dennis told me that he saw me as a builder, someone who is going to build community. As a prideful young buck, to me it sounded like he meant I was a dud, someone without much to offer, a guy you could plug into a gap to complete an unimportant mundane task. I didn’t know how to respond, and I chose not to dwell on it. Surely Dennis saw my potential as a leader, someone who can accomplish great things. Why does he think I’m just a plodding builder?
After college, the Lord opened doors for me and guided me on a career path, as well as marriage and children, and many years of living covenant life. Looking back at Dennis’ words about being a builder, I see now he was right and I appreciate the call to build community. If I do this right, I get to build something beautiful with all of you, each of us called to build our community in a special way. Dennis served our community with gifts of leadership and service, but he was also a brother just living community life, building community by sharing himself and his family. The recent passing of other beloved community members also bears reflection on the unique impact each person has had on our life together. Each person the Lord has called here has something to contribute, each one a builder in their own way. The relationships we build in community are a gift and a way for us to share and receive God’s love, encouraging and inspiring us to love and serve all those God puts in our path.
In every age, God’s people have faced challenges to follow his call faithfully. We want to know what’s coming next, but the Lord knows what we need to know and when we need to know it. The Lord has blessed us with a call to covenant life, a life led and empowered by the Holy Spirit. I am so grateful for the life we build together, builders in the family of God.