Every so often when I am stressed out about something going on in my leadership of this church Megan will look at me and ask, “Are you doing your best?” I am keenly aware that no awards are given out for doing your best. I also know that my own capabilities have limitations.
Elaine Heath in her book God Unbound: Wisdom from Galatians for the Anxious Church offers a clue into how discernment is done.
Show up to God, ourselves, our neighbors, and our world.
Pay attention to what is there, what is going on inside and outside ourselves.
Cooperate with God as God invites, instructs, corrects, or encourages in the situation at hand.
Release the outcome of cooperation with God. Consciously let go of the outcome, recognizing that God is God and we are not.
That last step is a doozy. Instead of trying to stay a few moves ahead, she encourages us to be in the moment.
This Sunday we will engage in a time of discernment. We will do so with Rev. Hope Chernich as our leader, and with First Vietnamese United Methodist Church as our partner in discernment. If you choose to be a part of that conversation, I invite you to come and try your best. Show up. Be you. After all, you are pretty great.
Peace,
Matthew