February 21, 2008

My Dear Family in Christ,

I am writing to you as I sit in our church sanctuary on this Thursday afternoon, February 21, 2008.  As I seek this day the Lord’s leading as to what to write to you, I am reminded of a prayer penned by Howard Thurman (1900-1981): 

I need Thy Sense of Time
  Always I have an underlying
    anxiety to achieve my ends
  And am completely without 
    patience.  It is hard
    for me to realize
  That some growth is slow,
  That all processes are not swift.  I 
    cannot always discriminate
  Between what takes time to 
    develop and what can be
    rushed,
  Because my sense of time is 
    dulled.
  I measure things in terms of 
    happenings.
  Oh to understand the meaning of
    perspective
  That I may do all things with a
    profound sense of leisure
    ----of time.

Because March promises us a flurry of activities, events, programs and projects to capture our attention and our time, I have taken a moment to recite Thurman’s prayer in this sanctuary on this day on our behalf.   Doing all things “with a profound sense of leisure” does not mean we do it with a lack of energy and purpose, but rather we do all things with a sense of God’s peace, His perspective, and His end in mind.  Today, in this place and at this time, I am reminded that for those of us in Christ, for those of us who belong to Him, time is our friend, not our enemy.  And not only time, but God’s timing as well.  Doing things “with a profound sense of leisure” gives witness to a living faith that trusts God’s timing—and not our own—for all things.  It is in this place of trust that we begin to gain access to part of that peace which transcends all human understanding.  It is in this place of trust that we become less anxious over things we can’t control.  It is here we begin to gain perspective on what is important and what is not.  Oh Lord, grant us Thy Sense of Time. 

Leisurely in Christ,

Art Blodgett
Pastor