Someone once told me: “Anxiety is living in an unknown
future that robs us of the glorious present and of the possibilities that the
future holds.”
By this definition, anxiety is the opposite of faith.
Times of transition usually stir up our anxieties –
How are things going to be different? What will the next pastor be like? Will I
like her? Will he agree with me? What if we fall?
But, times of transition also call on us to rely on faith – How
will God lead us into the future? What spirit of new life is stirring among us?
What exciting things will we be able to try and do? What kind of new pastor is
God preparing to lead us? What if we fly?
This is the story of our faith ancestors: the Hebrews in the
wilderness, the Germans in the Reformation, the Pilgrims going to a new land and others.
All of these transitions are marked by faith that asked,
“What if we fly?” What are the possibilities? What are the new things that God
will do in our midst? And, like the little girl in our picture, each group had
to first put on their wings: gather their things and follow Moses and Aaron;
prayerfully move through the radical changes of the Reformation; get into those
leaky boats.
We are embarked on a journey of faith. And,everyone at Good
Shepherd can choose to worry about falling OR embrace the idea that we just
might fly! But, first, we have to put on our wings.
By the time you read this, we will have completed a wonderful
series of cottage meetings – a chance to share our hopes and dreams and
commitments to Good Shepherd Church – to consider what it will be like to fly.
AND, coming up on October 11th we will have a “Leapership” event to
focus on who we are, where we are being called to go and what we need to
do to get there. In short, we’ll be putting on those wings.
So, join us on the 11th to put on our wings. Who
knows? We just might fly!
Blessings – Laura Lee
