Dear friends! January 2012
With the start of a new year many of us feel the urge to make resolutions about the things we want to accomplish in the next twelve months. As you make your list of goals for 2012, I encourage you to take stock of your spiritual life at the same time as you reflect upon other priorities in your life. To do that, a good place to begin is by reviewing the year that has just ended. One of my favorite spiritual writers, Joyce Rupp, speaks of the new year as a good time to get out our “road maps of life”. She suggests that we look back to identify the places that blessed us, affirmed us, enlivened us and enriched us in the past. We also need to reflect upon those things that challenged us, tested us, discouraged us, or perhaps nearly defeated us.
Having reviewed our past travels, we can then take stock of our present situation and where we hope to go in the future. Rupp proposes that we ask the following questions: “What are our inner resources? Do we need to refuel, to restore our energies? Are we prepared to continue on the road? Have our spiritual suitcases worn thin with all the clutter we have stuffed into them? What kind of nourishment will we provide for ourselves as we travel? Do we settle for only junk food for our minds and hearts? Do we need to change our style of travel, or take a new road? Are we moving too slowly or too quickly? Can we risk taking the back roads, the unfamiliar ones, where much hidden beauty is found? Are we aware of the people who are on our roads? Do we stop to meet them, listen to them, learn from them?” (May I Have This Dance?, p. 19) I would add to her list the question, “Where is God in your travel plans?”
Several of you have commented to me that you are more than ready for a new year to begin. If you are trying to find your way after a major loss in your life or are feeling stuck on a dead-end street brought on by depression,unemployment, financial problems, destructive behavior, or just too much pressure or complexity in your life, remember that wherever we go, God goes with us. Even as we step out into the unknown, we can trust that God will give us enough strength to carry us forward toward greater wholeness. God has broken through the darkness of this world in a tiny manger in Bethlehem with a light so bright it can never be extinguished. What will that mean for you and for our church in 2012?
Grace and peace,
Nancy
Past Notes:
August |
July