Merideth, my wife and I are on a vacation. We hadn‘t planned it for long, but our time-share week was about to expire and I had earned a week of vacation so here we are in Florida. It is so good to be together, to reconnect. I hadn’t realized how challenging being apart has been for us. I’ve met people in Virginia who have been deployed for years at a time without seeing their families, so I won’t complain, but being here together has been so good and it reminds me what a challenge it has been to be separated after being together for 35 years.
One of the things I am doing here is reading a book suggested by a friend: A Work of Heart: How God shapes Spiritual Leaders by Reggie McNeal. I have been asking for a while what it is that God is doing with the call I felt and in His work in me.
The view from our room
September, I am told, is the time resorts do renovation. Outside our room we see the adjacent building undergoing a renovation of the rooms. I am told the building we are in is next. The workmen are hauling out what look to be perfectly serviceable appliances, fixtures and cabinets. They are being replaced with brand new and up-dated items. When we occupied our unit it struck me as incredibly beautiful. Now that we’re here for a while I can see a few nicks in the furniture, a crack in the grout of the shower, etc. When up-dated, our unit will be pristine. The other thing is that those old ‘serviceable’ parts won’t fit with the new scheme.
I’m very aware that our world is dramatically changing. I also believe that it means that there will be new challenges for those seeking to be faithful followers of Jesus Christ. McNeal’s book talks about those who retreat from our culture and those who try to engage the culture to participate with God’s redemptive activity. That second kind of person is who I want to be. I have a suspicion that means renovations are in order whether I see the need or not.
A contemporary song by the David Crowder Band states, “You make everything Glorious.” God does that with those committed to him. As I reflect on what God is doing, I wonder what I am seeing in my life that He has slated for renovation; something that will be new and glorious. I may see it as perfectly serviceable, but in His wisdom He knows my need to be upgraded-perhaps to fit a new reality for being His person in a rapidly changing world..
So the questions I’m asking are:
- Do I trust Him to equip me to serve Him in an entirely new way?
- Will I believe He wants to make my life “glorious?”
- As old things I valued are hauled to the dumpster, will I trust Him to bring something better in my life that will produce fruit for Him?
Faith is not for the faint of heart—especially in a changing world!
Russ Ritchel 