We’re in the middle of our summer family vacation. We visited family – brothers and sisters to me via marriage and cousins for our kids. We went to the zoo and the Jelly Belly jelly bean factory and a neighborhood pool. We played Toy Story yahtzee and t-ball and hide-and-seek. There was an epic Nerf gun fight and a water balloon war. It was a time to reconnect — to discover what beloved family is working on, regretting, dreaming. I’m grateful I enjoy my in-laws as much as I do. They are quick-witted, smart, creative and thoughtful. I wish I felt more connected to them. They have all had siblings since childhood – relationships built on love, experience, conflict and its sisters forgiveness and acceptance. With my late start, I must be contented our relationship grows despite, or perhaps, thanks to time and distance.
Now it is church camp. A week in the forest with our church family. I don’t even know where my son is right now. Time moves slowly here and lingers.
Three questions permeate our time. What do we hope God will do with this time we’ve set aside? For me, this time apart is a time to rest. Perhaps to sleep, but, more importantly to rest. A season to be still, to read, to sing, to chat, to laugh, to watch the trees sway in the wind and listen to the birds and insects. To breathe deeply.
The lure of the world to rest efficiently and “get a head start” on a new goal, a new problem, a new want tempts me. This time will end. Battles will come, ready or not. So right now, my goal is to get better at spending time resting in Jesus. To listen for His voice and enjoy His creation. To breathe in grace and breathe out gratitude. To accomplish nothing but savoring His great gifts.
We read Luke 13: 10-17. Jesus cures a woman who had been suffering for 18 years. In response, the synagogue leaders chastised the group, while the people “delighted in the wonderful things he was doing.” In prayer, I found my second question: what is God doing? How can I delight in the Lord if I don’t know what wonderful things the Lord is doing? It would be nice if questions came with answers, but answers, like healing, take time.
Our speaker is talking about the Kingdom of God, and living in the tension of being in Christ and in our local towns. If Christ reigns, then he rules in our hearts and the whole of our lives as well as the public sphere. Our third question: How do we live in the tension of being about Christ’s kingdom – justice, mercy, love, dependence on God, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, humility – in our town which values self-sufficiency, success, comfort and ease, striving, and money?
I ponder these questions in a time apart because they will need to be lived out in a time together.
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