I found out years after the fact that “God forbid!” was my father’s reaction when I first announced (during my senior year in college) that I was going to pursue a career in youth ministry.
His objection – which he kept to himself – wasn’t about anything like low pay, lack of status, or limited career options.
No, the gut-level “God forbid!” came out of his years of attending local churches and especially the experience of serving on various church committees.
Here was dad’s fear: I was a naïve idealist who was about to walk into the reality of the inner workings of a church. He figured that I might witness “how the sausage is made” and get so discouraged that I would walk away not only from the local church but from my Christian faith altogether.
Thus … God forbid!
He didn’t seek to discourage my plans, but he sure prayed for me.
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