#reLENTless: Day 13 « Learning to Sail

#reLENTless: Day 13

March 5th, 2012 § Leave a Comment

Hebrews 1:8-12 (MSG)

^8-9But he says to the Son,
You’re God, and on the throne for good;
your rule makes everything right.
You love it when things are right;
you hate it when things are wrong.
That is why God, your God,
poured fragrant oil on your head,
Marking you out as king,
far above your dear companions.
^10-12And again to the Son,
You, Master, started it all, laid earth’s foundations,
then crafted the stars in the sky.
Earth and sky will wear out, but not you;
they become threadbare like an old coat;
You’ll fold them up like a worn-out cloak,
and lay them away on the shelf.
But you’ll stay the same, year after year;
you’ll never fade, you’ll never wear out.

I can’t say this Lenten blogging thing has gone well. Clearly, I managed to write two days in a row, and then nothing. I don’t anticipate that there is anyone out there terribly disappointed … except me, I guess.

Sticking with things has never been my strong suit. It’s not a “fairweather” thing, it’s just how many things I’ve always been involved with. I thought I was narrower these days, but between my writing, my work, and my family, I’m pretty stretched.

But that’s part of what I love about what I do. I don’t have a weekly sermon to write; I don’t have a weekly youth group event to plan; I don’t have to lead a weekly small group. My job is determined by seasons: I work toward an event, hold the event, and then begin to work toward the next. Things are always in flux; and I love it! I never get bored. Last weekend I was talking about faith with middle schoolers while we held popcorn kernels over a candle to watch them pop. This weekend I was preaching at a high-church service. Today I taught First Aid and CPR to state park rangers and volunteers. Always changing, ever new.

When I was growing up, though, the same was true of friendships. I never had an issue of being untrue to friends; there was seldom a major altercation that caused us to part ways; it just happened. I moved on, they moved on, we moved on. Some of that was pretty incredible. I got to meet so many more people and be influenced by so many more incredible mentors in faith and life. But now, as an adult, I mourn that I have not kept in touch with even the best of friends. No hard feelings, honest. For some reason that’s just not in my DNA.

This passage from Hebrews is, for many, a comfort. The idea that God is always the same, always there, never changing — that’s what some people are looking for. But to me, it’s a challenge. It means that there is someone in my life who, throughout all the years, throughout all my personal iterations, has been there, loving me, seeking me, pursuing my love.

It makes me wonder how my relationship with friends and my relationship with God have compared.

I’ll be blogging my way through Lent 2012, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Year B, as inspiration. You can also follow my fellow #reLENTless bloggers: Jeremy Smith, Carolyn Frantz and Deanna Ogle. Leave a comment if you would like to join us.

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