Lagging behind.

Buenos Dias!

What do you do when you're 23, living with your parents, and wondering if you'll ever find a job? You walk --- a lot.

That's what you do, and that's what I was doing today. I was on a walk. As I chugged along a path, which winds through the woods and down to the beach (absolutely beautiful), I heard a few voices behind me. They were the voices of three men, dressed in jeans, collared shirts, and pagers on their hips. They didn't look like runners or joggers. They weren't even dressed for a walk of this distance and intensity. To be honest, I really didn't think they'd end up catching up to me, but it didn't take too long for the pitter patter of their feet to pitter patter right on past me. Alongside me, one of them looked at me and said, "beautiful day isn't it?" They were just chatting up a storm, something about walleye fishing and big waves. As they continued up the path with a hop in their step and a spring in their stride I thought to myself, with that much joy and excitement, they look like the disciples running to the tomb (as the irony of fishing and big waves finally hits me).

I wondered why a few grown men would randomly remind me of the disciples running to the tomb....

To be honest, as they passed me, I couldn't help but feel like I was lagging...lagging behind. And as odd as it may sound, even when they were behind me I felt like I was lagging. Somehow they carried something with them. Something I didn't seem to have this morning; a sort of joy-filled spirit. They walked as if on the best adventure ever. They had a mission, a destination, even if the mission was just to keep on walking.

Is it possible that though they didn't even looked like they belonged on the path that they somehow understood and enjoyed the path that much more than me?

Is it possible that we dress ourselves up as Catholics, Methodists, Episcopalians...as you know, Christians; and yet somehow others understand and enjoy the beauty of the earth, the significance of relationships, and the joy of love more than we do?

I'm not really trying to give a comparison act here...In fact, I shouldn't try and categorize this at all...let me explain.

I'm reading this book right now. It discusses the modern era, the postmodern era, and how we, as Christians, throughout this transition between the modern era and the postmodern era might merge out as perhaps a new kind of Christian. (In fact, that's the title of the book, A New Kind of Christian).

There's a point where, when talking about what this new kind of Christian might look like, that reads...

I believe Jesus meant it when he said the Spirit of God would be with us, guiding us, to the very end. So I believe that he will guide us through these winds and currents of change, no matter what storms come. In fact, I believe that he is the wind in our sails, leading us into change, because that's his way. He always moves ahead. He's not about taking us back into the past, some beautiful illusion of good old days. He has a purpose he is working toward, and I want to keep up with him. I suppose that's my greatest fear, not that I'll go too fast or too far, but that I'll lag behind.

So I wonder. Am I keeping up with God? Is it possible that in the modern era, an era devoted to systems, numbers, control that we're lagging?

That we're too stuck on numbers... (How many were saved tonight? Did you have prayer time for 30 minutes this morning?)

That we're too stuck on systems... (If you do this and don't do that then it's all good. A relationship with God looks like this: read your Bible, go to church, and sing a lot of worship songs. Oh, and don't forget about Bible studies).

That we're still stuck on the idea of conquering and controlling...(Are you a Christian? Do you belong to my elite group?).

I'm not saying these are wrong things or bad things. I'm just saying, I think there's more, and I think that even though I might be on the path, that I'm still not quite getting it. On my walk this morning I knew the system. I knew left foot, right foot. And yes, I was on the path, but I still was lagging. I know the system. I'm on the path. But is God calling me to something more?

So how, in the era in which we find ourselves immersed, do we keep up with God? He's putting the world back together and making all things new isn't He? For me, I know I'm lagging when it comes to recycling. I'm also much quicker to criticize and judge than to edify and encourage so as to conquer and control situations (or at least attempt to control them). And I tend to put a system, a box, around my Jesus, which limits how incredibly wonderful and beautiful He is.

There was a point where the men I saw on my walk this morning veered left and I veered right. I continued to think about all the implications these men and their stride had on my life. I saw them later en route. One of them was now on his cell phone. Again, couldn't help but think of them as the disciples, on a mission, to share what they had seen and heard...

I want that. I want to carry God with me. I want to share what He's working to do --- restore the world; creating a world that is of love, and joy, equality, community, a stable environment, patience, peace throughout, no endangered species...I want to join in on that. And I want to work towards that. And I want others to join in on that as well.

I'm better for having those men cross my path today. I hope that my life is the same for those whom I encounter!

Cheering you on as we catch up to a God who is always moving.

May we have not fear for change, but may we embrace the art of making all things new.

Kaylee