The following piece was written for the Greenfield Hill Congregational Church 2018 Advent Devotional. Devotional booklets are published twice a year, during the seasons of Advent and Lent. Church members are given a Bible verse and find inspiration in relating it to the broader theme for the season. The theme for Advent 2018 is “Gifts.”
John 10:28
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
I just opened my Bible to reread the context of this verse and there I found, between the pages, a business sized card with the quote “Put GOD in the center – and everything will come together.” And that is honestly what I intended to write about, in so many words! Coincidence?
Why is it so hard to remember this – to put God in the center — on a daily and hourly basis? I recently attended the funeral of a friend’s mother where the priest assured the congregation that “we don’t have to worry about her now; her work is done…this message/service is for YOU all now…” He proceeded to talk about our all-to-human tendency to reach for “the control button” – the habitual tendency to believe that we are in control of our lives; that we have all the answers and if we just work hard and efficiently enough we should be able to reap the rewards, adequately plan for the future and be content.
But don’t you get tired of feeling like you’re on a treadmill or spinning your wheels? Sometimes the amount of mundane, scrambling, wheel-spinning in my life literally makes me want to cry (or scream). But I’m trying to train myself, more often now, to play “hot-potato” with God. Just hand it over; the angst, frustration or helpless “stuck” feeling that can threaten to derail us at times. It’s actually absurdly simple, if you think about it. Talk about a “quick fix!” But here’s the rub. It doesn’t always work, like flipping a switch. It takes real discipline, digging down deep, and forcing yourself to go to the more positive, thankful place where you start naming your specific blessings…along with prayer, of course! (Warning: This takes work and discipline…a deliberate change in your way of thinking)!
Just last week at coffee hour a lovely church friend asked me how the college search for my high school senior was progressing — and I just launched. Rattling on about the overwhelming and unpredictable nature of the whole process…the great unknown, especially the first time around. She listened, waited and then quietly reminded me, with a reassuring smile, to pray about it. You see, I hadn’t thought of that. It made me awfully glad I got to church that day. Coincidence?
Dear Lord, as we approach another new year, help us to remember to take our finger off the control button and to work on trusting you more deeply instead. And Thank You for all of your many gifts you bestow upon us, including the warmth and fellowship of this congregation. Amen.
Jennifer Richard