I’m starting to wonder if there is a group of persons that I am supposed to set free? No one has showed up in my office to turn a staff into a snake, but it feels like a series of annoyances around our building rehabilitation project could be God trying to get my attention.  We’ve had issues with delays, dead animals under the building, air quality concerns because of spraying and disturbing dust, and whatnot. While the staff was largely able to return to their regular offices this week, I will now be out of my office until mid-November.

As the work has progressed, they realized that the plumbing behind my office caused the subfloor to rot, meaning they must tear up a small portion of the floor in my office to repair it and make it sound again. It also means a whole new bathroom behind my office because all of that flooring needs to come out. In the big scheme of things, it’s no big deal. I can do ministry from anyplace; it just helps to have a little bit of privacy and my books for certain parts of what I do! In the big scheme of things, this is nothing. It is six more weeks of frustrations and inconvenience. There are far more important things to be concerned about. My life is full of blessing, and I am grateful for so many other realities. All I have to do is remember how our Lord suffered; if I have to stare out a different window and walk down the hall for books, and temporarily pack up half my office, I’m pretty sure I got the better end of the deal!

I don’t think God is trying to send a message with a series of plagues, but I understand why people might feel that way in life when the hits keep on coming. I think everybody’s been feeling that way lately, with global wars, an unending election cycle of anger and vitriol, the lingering effects of the pandemic on economies around the world, and the very personal effects we each experience from an economic downturn that seems to be unfolding in slow motion. God’s not doing all those things to get our attention. No, of course not! But we might meet God somewhere in the midst of it, nonetheless.

You’ve heard me say before that it’s a lot easier to put our trust in God when we sense that we need God. In turn, it’s a lot easier to forget about God and assume we have everything under control when things are going our way. So, while God may not be causing all these things to happen in order to get everyone’s attention at the same time, it is also true that one unexpected consequence of this period is that God is becoming more apparent and more needed in our lives. Maybe this happens because we are reminded that as bad as things can get, they can almost always be worse. Maybe it’s because as bad as things are, we know that God is close at hand. Maybe we have this realization because we simply recognize how blessed we are when we hear or see of the struggles of others.  

Because God reigns over all, and nothing we encounter is lasting, at least in God’s eternal view, it’s a good reminder that whatever we struggle with will eventually come to an end. On the other side of it, God is there to guide us, just like the Israelites who were finally set free from their bondage. As one of my favorite bands sings, “This too shall pass.” Now, if I turn on the sink in the parish hall and the water coming out of the tap is red, I’ll know I’m in real trouble.  

Tom+

No prayer today, but the lyrics from the song I referenced in the Rambling:  Ok Go’s, This too shall pass. They have a great music video here (all their music videos are pretty amazing).  

You know you can't keep lettin' it get you down
And you can't keep draggin' that dead weight around
If there ain't all that much to lug around
Better run like hell when you hit the ground

When the morning comes (2x)

You can't stop these kids from dancin'
Why would you want to?
Especially when your already gettin' yours
'Cause if your mind don't move and your knees don't bend
Well don't go blamin' the kids again

When the morning comes (6x)

 Let it go, this too shall pass (4x)

When the morning comes 

Photo Credits: Work Sign and Moses and Pharoah via Dreamstime.com subscription.