In the bathtub this morning.
This is where I pray. It’s where I write my sermons, and where I plan my day. It’s where I ask God for help.
”Is it really my job to change the whole church - rescue it from its 21st century woes, help it reach the majority who no longer care?”
I know what the answer is.
I am, after all, the one who tells exhausted pastors that they should be doing less. Resting more. Trusting God.
I know about boundaries.
Also, am I really this grandiose? Does the church need another Savior? Do I have a Messiah complex?
And yet… visions of mustard seeds dance in my head. Throwing mountains in the sea. Didn’t Jesus challenge his disciples to not be afraid of the power of faith?
If it’s true that the Church is the Body of Christ - and I believe it is true - then I am an integral part.
The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you’, Paul says to the Corinthians.
In other words, what the eye says is, ‘I need you.’
I know my part is tiny - I like to think I’m an eyelash on the Body of Christ. It’s an inconsequential piece, many are lost every day. But it does its part: it protects the vision. It frames sight. It enhances beauty. People make wishes on eyelashes.
And if every part is necessary, then that means every part has an effect on the whole.
I know what the answer is. It’s YES.
On Teresa of Avila's day, your eyelash vision is spot on. But I keep saying to myself and others, we can only be God's hands, eyes, ears, etc the best we can, with womever we have around us, in the time we have. Amen.
Lovely