Time to Be

 

Something that often comes through nowadays whenever one hears the COVID-related news reports is the fact that caregivers…nurses, ancillary staff, physicians, maintenance and housekeeping people…and even others such as pastors, counselors, and others…are tired.  And that tiredness goes on to those in other vocations such as customer service, education, public health, and hospitality.  It seems like we all are tired…tired of the illness…tired of the restrictions…tired of hearing of yet more preventable deaths…tired of fighting what seems to be a never-ending, uphill, and at times unwinnable battle against not only a microscopic speck of DNA, but also against ignorance, selfishness, coarse behavior, violent acting-out, and other societal ills.

 I believe we are ALL tired.

 However, for many of us, finding the time to rest and refresh is more of a pipe dream than a reality.  It seems we are being called to do ever more with less…to improvise…to pack more work into fewer hours…to put out ever larger and more frequent fires in our lives.

 That reality has hit home in my vocation.  The staff at the church where I work is also tired.  We have had two deaths in our church family in just the last week or so.  We have others who are hanging on for life.  Some in our church family have incurable illness and are awaiting their time to go.  Others have chronic, but not yet life-threatening illness.  And still others are dealing with family breakup, mental health issues, spiritual issues, work-related issues, financial woes, unemployment, failing health, caring for children issues, and other assorted ailments physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.

 And we ourselves as staff feel overwhelmed…having our own set of problems to deal with, even as we provide comfort, spiritual guidance, and service to others in our spiritual family.  And then there is the ever-present reality of carrying on with church services, Sunday School classes, and the day-to-day, week-by-week routine of what church is and does.

 As I thought about all of this earlier this week, it came to me that perhaps it would do our church staff good if we took some time away from normal work and just refreshed through meditation and prayer.  So I asked staff to set aside an afternoon next week for just such a thing.  For three hours next Thursday afternoon, we will close the office, not answer our phones or engage in social media.  We will do whatever it is that we do to refresh, meditate and pray, whether that be going for a walk, listening to music, sitting quietly, putting a puzzle together…whatever it might be.  We will consider these to be work hours, but will not engage in the ordinary and routine of work.  Hopefully, we will find refreshment, a measure of peace and contentment, and a little less overwhelmed-feeling at the end of that time.  And hopefully, we will have, during this time, given our burden over to the God who is willing and able to bear them all and relieve us of the burden of carrying them alone.

 I don’t know what your circumstance in life is at the moment.  However, if you can join us on that day, that would be so good…and if you can’t during that time, perhaps you can set aside a time of your own next week…just to be and not do.  As has been said, we are human beings, not human doings.  We need to take the time to just be.

 Join us if you can, Thursday the 20^th from 1pm to 4pm.  Blessings.