Oliver Wendell Holmes said, "I wouldn't give a fig for the kind of simplicity which exists on this side of complexity, but I would give the whole world for the simplicity that exists on the other side of complexity."
I've thought a lot about my changing views about the role of pastor. I've wondered what I would do differently if I could start all over.
- I'd focus more on people and less on tasks.
- I'd resist the pressure to have all the answers.
- I'd be more "wasteful" of my time.
- I'd learn to enjoy the present and not mortgage it for "someday."
- I'd let go of the dream to "make something of myself."
- I'd enjoy life more.
- I'd worry less about what other people think of me.
- I'd be more open to see God working in unconventional ways and in odd places.
- I'd be less of a lecturer and more of a poet.
The problem is that I'd probably make the same mistakes all over again.
In fact, I wonder if it's possible to get to the proper kind of rest without going through the struggle.
Jacob had to struggle with God before he could quit playing the trickster and receive his blessing as "Israel" (Genesis 32:22–31).
- It is only after we try and fail that we are we ready to listen to a different way.
- It is only when we recognize that we are sinners that we are ready to accept a Savior.
- It is only when we exhaust all the other options that we are ready to rest in God's grace.
One cannot be a poet without experience. It seems that we don't know how to live until we die.
Pastor Rod
"Helping You Become the Person God Created You to Be"
4 comments:
Great posts. You've been on a roll for your last week or so of postings. Thank you for sharing these key insights!
Peace,
Brian
Real Meal Blog
Brian,
Thanks for your kind words and for taking the time to read my ramblings.
I feel like I am starting to get my voice back. It helps to hear that others notice. Your encouragement means more than you can know.
God Bless,
Rod
Thank you for sharing what you have found. Someone said that wisdom is the act of applying knowledge in your own life.
I too have mortgaged enjoyment for someday, been too worried about what other people think, and have focused too much on tasks. But some loving people have written and spoken of these things, and encouraged me into a journey of healing, life, freedom, and rest.
dona eis requiem (grant them rest)
Because I enjoy the emotion of sacred classical music and beauty of chant, I’ve been exploring some of the great Christian requiems. I just discovered this past week that the Latin essence of the word “requiem” is rest.
God’s very Presence is already intimately with us and in us (Luke 17:21; 1 Cor 6:19). We can begin experiencing His rest now. In the power of the Holy Spirit, may we enter into this grace--and then remain within it.
The wisdom quotation above is a paraphase of Prof. J. Rufus Fears.
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