05-29-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
May 29, 2024
Another storm! I hope this Etching finds you doing well, hopefully with power. Yesterday, as the storm came through, we lost power at the church. It was off for about an hour, so as I checked to see if we had any leaks and kept an eye on one of the trees on the church property, what I had planned for that hour was pushed to the back burner. But now, reflecting on the remainder of the day, it feels as if I never fully recovered. We did have a productive meeting about the New Playground, but my to-do list was never revisited during the remainder of the workday. It’s interesting how an interruption, even one that isn’t all that long, can throw me off. It makes me wonder how often I do not notice God using an interruption. Instead, the frustration throws my day off, keeping me from recognizing the interruption as an opportunity to throw me back on—back on the path God needs me to be; back into certain values that better represent what I claim to believe; back to a place where I am actually following Jesus and not just talking about what that looks like. I’m not suggesting that God caused the storm to interrupt my day, but I wonder how often I allow frustration over an interruption to eclipse a holy opportunity that was put before me only because of the interruption.

Help me to keep my frustration at bay, O Gentle Spirit of Grace, especially when frustration keeps me from recognizing something that might give meaning to the interruption. Amen.