Getting Back to “Normal”

Today I am exhausted.  Traveling across the country is pretty taxing.  I am trying to get back into the swing of things.  While I may be sitting in my office, my feet have not touched the ground.  Our visit to New York was more than I had hoped for, and then some.  I still can’t believe that my son sang on a Broadway stage.  That seems completely surreal.

It is nice to get away from routine once in a while.  We are invited to take new adventures and to share different experiences.  Respite gives us a brand new perspective on reality.  We come back anxious to write a new chapter in our lives.  We seek to engage opportunities in a refreshing way that adds strength and radiance to “normal” routine.

Perhaps our Lenten disciplines are a much needed break from our traditional responses to God.  Our giving up (or adding to) of something gives us space to reflect on the presence of the divine in our lives in ways that we don’t normally reflect on God’s light.  The notion of changing our daily devotional practices challenges us to look deeper at our spiritual center.  I am talking about the very core of who we are.

My Lenten practice of writing on a daily basis is constantly calling me to surrender to the notion of not being good enough.  That is one of the fears that I brought into this whole process.  The notion that what I have to say does not matter at all.  I am not worthy to even describe who and what my holy calling is.  My language is not strong enough to illicit spiritual change or commitment.  These are my fears that plague my thoughts every time I sit down to write a post.

Here the Gospel (Good News) Joe MacDonald.  God loves all of you.  That even includes those places that you may deem unworthy.  To judge what is acceptable and what is not is to declare yourself God.  Who are you to play the role of the Holy One?  There is no understudy required.  God will show up for every performance.

Okay, I just went from preaching to meddling.  The truth is, God did not call us to worship only when everything is lined up nice and neat and perfect.  God wants us now.  Where we are and in the middle of all of our stuff.  We do not need to be perfect.  We need to be seeking wholeness.

So, my prayer for today is that as we try to get back into routine, I pray that we will give God all of ourselves and not just simply the best.  Our surrender is our total commitment.  May we remember and embrace that truth.  God wants no more than all of us.  He will judge our worth.  We are simply meant to serve.