It Bears Repeating

As I sit in my recliner, I am recalling a sermon I preached in May of 2006 when I was fresh out of completing a three year lay ministry program. My pastor at the time had asked that I preach the last sermon before his retirement. I chose the passage in Exodus when the Israelites are preparing to cross the Red Sea. I wrote that: “What I remembered of the passage had to do with God telling Moses to tell the people to go forward. But when I looked the scripture up before writing my sermon, lo and behold, the first directive was to stand still!”

Having given up the pastorate I loved, I feel the loss and, even as I recover from the back procedure and recognize this is a time to relax and focus on my wellbeing, I feel an underlying urgency to Get Busy! Yet consistently what I experience is the message to “Stand (sit or lie) still!” I plead stubborness. I have been here before, ranting that I was surely being prepared for something but wasn’t finding any direction. That went on really for years, while I just pursued whatever opportunities did come my way. And then when I least expected it, the direction was so clear! And I headed off to Montana and had three precious years. (Am I dense? Can’t I realize those opportunities were important in the process to reach the calling I received? Even now, is this time of focus on my health not valuable for whatever may lie ahead?) So I offer this wise counsel to myself and for anyone who can use it: stand still!

(Many may recognize this as my FB post last week. As I thought about being on the threshhold of the New Year, this post seemed to bear repeating! Best wishes to all in the coming year. )