August 23, 2005> 4:14 PM
how long, O Lord?
How long indeed. Part of the issue rolling around in me the last few days is really about time and how long things take. If I sit down long enough to recognize it, I see it. Kyle pointed it out very well in his reference to the sapling and the tree in the comments. Once again I go back to thoughts I've thought before and things I've written before. I'll quote some here and ask you to read the rest on the post page here.
This time business is very probably a huge part of what we do in the process of spiritual direction. What I mean is that what we end up telling people is, "wait" - a lot. We find ourselves thinking, "it's not going to happen like that or that fast for them." Then we don't say it because we don't want them to be frustrated or overwhelmed or give up. We say something more palatable and we do them harm. We need to say what we know, the hard things.
These things are highly relevant to our lives as individuals as well as to our lives as communities of faith. How people and churches grow and develop and become who and what they were created to be. How long that takes. What happens in the process. These things are so huge, I don't think I can properly express how important they are. So, they deal with my discouragement at my own community not being nearly what I'd like it to be, or what I believe God wants it to be. They also deal with our off-and-on frustration with ourselves, in our not being what we are to be yet either. These things take time. Here's a little of what I wrote a few months ago...
Why are you in such a hurry? Why are we all in such a hurry? What is it that HAS to be done right this second?...
...We need to learn how to see in God's spectrum. There are colours there that we know not of.
I really do think that this perceived need for speed - for things to culminate and happen in their fully mature state right now is not only mildly unhealthy, it is perhaps extremely dangerous. It is dangerous to our own spiritual development as it short-circuits things that really need to happen inside us that we can't see until they do. It is dangerous for the formation of those around us in community because we are a body and they need us to be a healthy liver or whatever. If we short-circuit ourselves, we short-circuit one another. It is dangerous for the whole Church for the same reasons. We set bad examples as those who are caught up and cannot wait. And it is also dangerous for the world in which we live. We, as I said before, are the continued Incarnation of God on earth. We carry the eternal seed of Life within us. As it is in itself - as He is in Himself - He is fully formed and lacks nothing. But as He is in us, there are yet ways in which this Life needs to fill us in all our parts, and if we do not allow that to happen, we play a part in retarding the reconciliation of all creation. Sounds like a big deal doesn't it? Also sounds like it's not all about you.
Time is a bitch. Waiting sucks. It hurts. What you see and want now when you first get a glimpse of some future that you believe God has for you is not yet mature. It needs to cook a while so that when you "eat it," it doesn't make you sick. It needs to be properly seasoned, and re-seasoned (does anybody cook?) and tasted and then it needs to maybe cook some more so that it will not only be free of bacteria but will also be full of flavor for all who partake. It's not just about getting it done to slap on the table. Let's back off the microwave culture thing. And I'm talking about all kinds of things, but about churches, communities, monasteries, ministry visions - sloooow down! And I'm talking about years here, not months, not weeks...
August 23, 2005
> 4:14 PM
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