Today’s Readings: Psalm 37:1-40; Amos 7:1-17; John 12:20-26; 2 Peter 3:8-13
My life during the latter part of my twenties was a real challenge for me. I say that for several reasons. First of all, I was struggling to find the vocation to which I was called. I tried things from teaching to community organizing and nothing seemed to be that perfect fit. Second, I was consumed with trying to live out each and every one of my political/social commitments simultaneously; as a result, I was constantly feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. Third, I was disgusted with the narrow-mindedness of the part of the country in which I was living. By the time I turned thirty I knew that things had to change; I just had no clue about how to make that change. I thought if I just worked harder at the same things I had been doing that everything would just magically turn around. Of course they didn’t. I wasn’t until I passed my thirties that I realized if I wanted things to change, I would have to change things – so I began to do that. I took a HUGE risk and applied to a seminary 1,200 miles away from “home”. I stepped away from the social service arena and tried working in a parish. I integrated my political/social commitments into my spirituality and added a profound sense of depth to my ways of being in the world. And what do you know? I gained a whole new life! Having lived through this, I certainly resonated with Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel reading where he said: “… anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let go, reckless in love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal” (John 12:25 from The Message). Perhaps there are areas of your life that you are rigidly clinging to out of habit or routine – pieces that cause you to feel as if your life is being/has been destroyed. Maybe it’s a relationship, a job, or a way of looking at life. If that’s the case, I would urge you to try living into Jesus’ words. If you do that, you just might get a taste of the resurrection experience in the here and now like I did. Til next time…
My life during the latter part of my twenties was a real challenge for me. I say that for several reasons. First of all, I was struggling to find the vocation to which I was called. I tried things from teaching to community organizing and nothing seemed to be that perfect fit. Second, I was consumed with trying to live out each and every one of my political/social commitments simultaneously; as a result, I was constantly feeling overwhelmed and inadequate. Third, I was disgusted with the narrow-mindedness of the part of the country in which I was living. By the time I turned thirty I knew that things had to change; I just had no clue about how to make that change. I thought if I just worked harder at the same things I had been doing that everything would just magically turn around. Of course they didn’t. I wasn’t until I passed my thirties that I realized if I wanted things to change, I would have to change things – so I began to do that. I took a HUGE risk and applied to a seminary 1,200 miles away from “home”. I stepped away from the social service arena and tried working in a parish. I integrated my political/social commitments into my spirituality and added a profound sense of depth to my ways of being in the world. And what do you know? I gained a whole new life! Having lived through this, I certainly resonated with Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel reading where he said: “… anyone who holds on to life just as it is destroys that life. But if you let go, reckless in love, you’ll have it forever, real and eternal” (John 12:25 from The Message). Perhaps there are areas of your life that you are rigidly clinging to out of habit or routine – pieces that cause you to feel as if your life is being/has been destroyed. Maybe it’s a relationship, a job, or a way of looking at life. If that’s the case, I would urge you to try living into Jesus’ words. If you do that, you just might get a taste of the resurrection experience in the here and now like I did. Til next time…
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