P ~ Power Hungry

     We have seen it happen again and again.
    A young Amish man is ordained minister. A position he never wished for, but he humbly shoulders his new responsibility and delivers interesting sermons. He's kind, has a listening ear, and is well liked by everyone in the church. 
    A few years later there's an ordination for a new bishop, and the lot falls on him. Everyone feels hopeful and happy. The first few times when there's "church work" to be done everyone agrees that they finally have a nice bishop.
    But bit by bit the amount of power he has over his church goes to his head. He becomes power hungry and makes life miserable for a lot of people.
    This year alone, even though we haven't been a part of the Amish church in over fifteen years, we were affected by three Amish bishops. Two of which were the power hungry kind. The actions of the one was beyond reprehensible, and it still makes my stomach knot when I think about it. The second one way overstepped his bounds of authority on the morning of my mother's funeral. I won't go into the gnarly details, but it was ridiculous and upsetting on what was already a hard day.
    The third bishop we interacted with I have nothing but deep respect for. He never became the usual power hungry man that the majority of Amish bishops turn into. He has been a bishop for decades already and is still one of the kindest most sincere men you will ever meet. He reached out to us to offer help and see how we would like to proceed with a certain troubling situation. The conversation that followed blessed us immensely and in the end he wished us well in our faith journey.
    He's proof that it is possible for someone to be a bishop without turning power hungry.