Showing me who I am…

I came across this post the other day and was struck by the phrase that through my relationships with others “God has a chance to hold up a mirror and show me who I am.”

I wonder, how often are we blessed with relationships that have that kind of depth to them? Relationships where we feel free and comfortable and, more importantly, responsible for helping one another grow in Christ? It’s not something that happens by chance, these relationships. They are something that we have to intentionally seek, and something we have to consistently work for.

Do you have at least one? Do you have someone with whom you can be honest about your life, your spiritual journey, your fears and your desires? Do you have someone who will tell you when they don’t agree with you or with your actions – and, most importantly, to whom you will listen? Or do you come across as closed and defensive so that others are either afraid or unwilling to speak plainly when that is needed?

Some of my times of greatest growth come when I am willing to look into the mirror that others hold up for me and see who I am.

Planning to Live

You may know this about me, but I am a planner and a list-maker. I like having a plan, a vision for my life – it helps bring order to my days, which are often chaotic. Truth be told, I like having a plan because it helps me feel more in control - especially when things don’t seem to be in my control. Now, I know that I am never really in control, and that God is always in control. But it helps sometimes to have a sense of knowing what’s going to happen (even if I really don’t).

The difficulty is learning to not hold so tightly to my plan that I miss God’s plan for me. I have learned that if I focus only on planning ahead, then I tend to not live now. I focus on what’s next and miss what is happening around me. I miss the invitations and the opportunities that God places in my life - invitations to experience God’s presence through my relationships with others or simply through the dawning of a new day. Invitations that quite often alter my plan and bring wonders I hadn’t dreamed of.

This tendency of looking ahead and missing the present is even greater during times of significant transition – especially transition I did not choose. What about you? Do you see God at work in your life and in the life of our congregation right now?

God is doing wonderful things here among us. I pray that you make yourself a part of it.

Pulse Check

For me, the past several weeks seem to have moved quickly. How are you doing?

Times of transition can sometimes be upsetting times – with the changes that have happened and the ones that are on the horizon. But they can also be wonderful times of growth and opportunities for discernment of God’s vision – for ourselves as individuals and for the congregation as we embrace all that God is calling us to become.

I have witnessed some wonderful things happening at Riverside these past few weeks – signs of faithfulness in the life of our Body of Christ; signs of God at work in our lives. Such as, the wonderful leadership we have in worship each Sunday. How great it is to have new voices sharing prayers and testimony with us each week. Such as, more than 70 people participating in our all-church study. What a wonderful sign of commitment to God, church, and our personal spiritual growth. Such as, a Saturday evening worship service that continues to inspire us with God’s presence. Such as, a new Sunday morning prayer group – members who are living out their commitment to pray for the church and its mission. Such as, a new evening women’s group that supports and encourages the relationships and the spiritual growth of the women of Riverside.

God’s call to each of us is constant. And during times of transition, it’s important to continue to be faithful to the call of God in our lives – as individuals and as the Body of Christ. It’s important that we are each faithful in our worship participation. Weekly worship is the primary way we come together as a whole Body of Christ for nurture, growth, support and praise. It’s important that we are each faithful in our stewardship. God’s call to mission continues through our ministry in this place. So it’s important that we continue to be faithful in our tithing, and in the sharing of our time and our talents in service to God.

Remember always that the One who calls you is faithful and he will do all that he has promised.

God’s steadfast love endures forever; God’s faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5)

Grounded in God

During times of transition brought about because of change, it is easy to become anxious, tired (mentally, physically, and spiritually), confused, sad, angry… During this time even more so than at any other, we need to seek to remain centered in ourselves and to be anchored in God. And the key to remaining centered in ourselves is being anchored in God. During times of transition, just as with other times of our lives, we need to do all we can to actively rely on God – God’s leading, support, nurture, strength, encouragement, and guidance.

The difficulty is when we find ourselves so occupied with, and possibly even overwhelmed by, all that we have to do that taking care of ourselves seems like a distraction. Tending to our own spiritual health seems to fall to last on the list. Either we are so busy doing that we don’t make the time, or we think everything is fine and we don’t need to make the time. Regardless, when this happens we find that we are so busy relying on ourselves that we neglect to rely on God.

When we live relying on God several things happen in our lives. First, we trust that regardless of what we do or don’t do, noting can separate us from God’s love (Rom 8:39). We find we are able to risk more because of it. Next, we understand that we are never alone. No matter where we are or what we do, God and Christian community are always with us. And, finally, we see our ministry, all that we do, in the context of God’s on-going work of redemption. We see that what we are doing is bigger than the next task on our list. When we take the time to tend to our own spiritual health, we are better able to do the things God calls us to do and serve as God calls us to serve.

So, how do we remain anchored in God? There’s no simple formula, but there are some practices that will help. Here are a few: participate in worship, receive God’s grace and experience God’s love in community; study the Bible for your own personal reflection, listen to where God is addressing you personally; pray, in whatever form or fashion you wish, but pray consistently; take time each week for Sabbath rest, take time to pause and reflect on your life and on God, time to refocus and refresh; find a mentor, not simply a friend but a spiritual guide who will help you process your reactions and responses to what is happening in and around you.

What do you do to remain anchored in God?