“I believe . . . that our
humanity, the 'who we are,' is often laid bare and expressed in the
inconvenient actions and time-consuming pursuits we undertake.”
– Barry Mano, Publisher, Referee Magazine
I receive Referee Magazine every month,
and every month it includes a Publisher's Memo. Think of this
as the Rector's Ramblings for the officiating world. And,
more often than not, he usually writes about something that can be
applied equally to both officiating and the Church.
As I read this particular Memo, I was
again struck by the similarities between the two.
Our lives, it seems, are driven by
convenience. We run to the store in our cars to pick up a box of
butter that we forgot when we were grocery shopping. If dinner can't
be made in a crock pot on most weekdays, we scrounge through the
refrigerator to find enough stuff we classify as a meal. Microwaves
are the most used appliance in the kitchen. We get our news in
headlines because it's not convenient to read the whole article.
A lot of this push for convenience
comes into play because we seem to be more busy than we ever were and
we just don't seem to have the time to take the time.
In his Memo, Mr. Mano refers to things
such as carving wood, making repairs to cars or appliances, taking a
long hike, and such. These are things, he says, that take time and
offer a sense of satisfaction.
Which brings me back to church.
Attending church is not convenient. It requires a person to get up
early on their day off and commit to being in a place at a particular
time that takes time and may offer a sense of satisfaction or
fulfillment or completion or whatever word you find descriptive.
Committing to worshiping God takes time
and is certainly not easy in this convenience-driven world.
Committing to daily prayer can be difficult and also takes time. But
like anything worthwhile – a friendship, a marriage, a hobby –
these are not things of convenience. These things are difficult, but
also an essential part of our being.
May you make the time to do that which
is difficult, and may your soul be fed by doing so.
Blessings,
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