Recently, I shared with my sister-in-law about how I wondered if I could still fulfill my calling as a pastor even though I have Aspergers. She was very caring saying that God calls people even if they aren't "qualified."
For some reason, since my diagnosis, I've been thinking about the biblical story of Gideon. Gideon was called by God to lead an army against the mighty Midianites. The thing is, God could have not called a more unqualified person to be a soldier. He was the the youngest (read: insignificant) person in his family which was of the lowest tribe in the land. And yet, the angel that summoned Gideon called him a mighty warrior.
The thing is, God used him to defeat the Midianites. A guy who was a coward and a scaredy cat was the person God picked.
So then, there is me, this guy who has a neurological disorder. A guy that has problems communicating effectively with others and well, can't always be the empathetic person that people expect pastors to be.
And yet, God has called me to be a pastor. It's not easy to be a pastor with Asperger's, but I do feel I am doing this whole pastor thing.
But then in the end, it is God that gives us the power to do anything. It is God that makes us "qualified." The only reason Gideon was successful was because God worked through him. Old Gid relied on God's power, not his own.
So I think I can be a pastor with an autism spectrum disorder. It might be different, but it is still a ministry.
Thanks be to God.
