I’m a real sucker for start dates.
There are few things in life I like more than new beginnings.
So yes….
It’s the endurance that I have issues with. The day in and day out determination is draining.
But I must remember that it’s right there in the long-hual of life where growth happens.
Whenever I pass a stump of some old tree, I squint down at the exposed rings to see how old the tree was when severed. Those rings, representing years of life, they are thin. Expansion and growth happen a little at a time, year after year, just like it does in humans.
Speaking of trees….
I’ve been thinking about Zacchaeus today.
It says in Luke that Zachaeus ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree so he could see Jesus.
James Martin, SJ – points out in his book Jesus: A Pilgrimage, that this is a wonderful line. Indeed it is. I read it last night before falling asleep and it struck something sweet in me. Knowing that when I awoke the next morning, a new year would be rung, I felt compelled to mimic Zachaeus’ determination to get a good, clear, accurate view of who Jesus really is.
Climbing, hoisting, stretching, bending, plowing, pushing, sitting, standing, waiting, running…. to encounter Him for ourselves this year.
Bible study, Spirit whispers, worship, rest, service, prayer, fellowship – if we were to really dig in to the deep disciplines of our faith this year, we would find Him in a new way. And we would find ourselves standing knee-deep in new, fertile ground.
Mrs. Beth, in her study Entrusted, said…
Early on, I heard the saying, “Concern yourself with the depth of your ministry and let God worry about the breadth.”
Yes. Everything in me resonates and says amen.
Let’s task ourselves with the depth, the going deep, the rooting in, the work…… of faith. He will reveal Himself to us, and He will make something great of it.
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Happy, happy new year dear friends. I can’t wait to see what comes from this next go around. Love to you all.
