Time Off
I took the summer off from commitments. This included ministry as well as other personal commitments. The summer was looking to be very full with travel and I felt it was a good plan to step back for a season.
As God would have it, it did become a summer of travel, celebrations and gatherings that brought much joy. However it also became a season of challenges. It was a time of learning and growing in my faith as well as investing in relationships. It was also a time of deep loss and sadness. Throughout it all, I saw God moving all summer long.
In taking “time off” I had committed to returning in the fall.Throughout the summer it regularly occurred to me how good it was that I had stepped back. In doing so it had given me time to process all that was occurring and to be available to meet the challenges. Occasionally I almost dreaded the thought of returning in the fall and to my regular schedule and commitments.
Throughout the month of August I wondered if I would be ready. As September began, I knew I was. All the things I had enjoyed doing and being part of were calling me back. I missed being connected.
We are called to connect. I remember hearing from one pastor that there are no Lone Ranger Christians. We are all in this together. I was no exception.
This is how God created us. From the very beginning God said man was not to be alone. We read in the Book of Genesis how He then created Eve for Adam. In the New Testament Paul tells us in Romans, that “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Romans 12:4-5
In Hebrews we read how we can be support to one another: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.” Hebrews 10:24-25a
It’s ok to take time away, to take a break from all the things we’ve said “yes” to. It is also clear why we need to be in community and gather together. We belong with others who follow Christ. It is in that community the we are whole and can continue to grow our faith. This prepare us for the times when we need to step back and meet life’s challenges.
It’s become clear to me that is was the community I’d experience before this summer hit that prepared me for all the summer brought – both the highs, the lows and the times in between. God is good and He’s faithful in walking along side His children.
Want to grow your faith? Are you connected? To be part of The Church at Severn Run, click connected to learn the connection options. Christ’s community is where you and I belong.