08-03-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 3, 2023
Donna and I have stayed at a lot of different hotels (and a cabin in Hot Springs on our way to General Assembly) in the last ten days. Funny how often I have walked outside of the hotel room early in the morning to go to the workout center, only to pause and ask myself, "Which way is the elevator?" Maybe that doesn’t happen to you, but I have been known to have a moment of directional confusion after staying at multiple hotels in a short period of time. I believe the same thing occurs in times of change when we suddenly find ourselves in a new experience or time of life. We look around, and the usual markers we have used to navigate are not there. In such moments, give yourself plenty of grace. I believe God is. Allow yourself some time to reorient your life in the new context, whether that new context is physical, emotional, or spiritual. Today, as I walked out of my hotel room only to look one way and then the other and then back, someone working housekeeping smiled and asked, "Are you looking for the elevators?" I nodded, and she pointed me in the right direction. It was as if she recognized my confusion, and I sort of believe that God helps by bringing alongside us those who can kindly and gently point us in the correct direction. As Prophet Isaiah reminds us, "The Lord will guide you always" (58:11).

Wherever I might wake up this morning, I trust that you, O Lord, will be there to love me and to use your limitless love to walk with me as I orient myself in this new day. Amen.