I Am Not a Flight Attendant

    Prior to my current appointment, it seemed like I was flying everywhere. At one point I saw more of airports than my house. But it has been a while since I've been on a plane, and as I stepped on one to travel to a conference recently, I was struck by how people were treating the flight attendants - as if she was their employee and personal problem solver. Most were a bit rude at best. Very few told her thank you. They just took for grant it that it was her job to give them whatever they want and take whatever complaint they may have, while forgetting that she was their more for their safety than comfort.
   All too often as a pastor people treat me like I am a flight attendant - there to make their lives easier and complain when they don't see me living into their expectations. They forget about all the other people on the plane, and its just about them and what they want. But I am not called to be a flight attendant, I am called to be a pastor. One who leads. One who gives direction. One who provides safety, which is often at odds with comfort. How can we bring about a paradigm shift in the perception of the role of the pastor?