It's been a while

It's been a while since I last posted a blog. Various things influenced this: my oldest starting reception and thus adapting to a new weekly pattern, being in the US for a wedding, a sense of being overwhelmed with preparing for Christmas Services already (it's almost November!), feeling pressure not to think about Christmas yet (it's not even November yet!), and viewing loads of flats/houses in an effort to move at the end of November. But mostly, I think, I haven't been writing because I was using all these very real things as excuses to cover my lack of inspiration. Although... reading this paragraph again, it seems that it may be because of November...

Anyway.

I have found that being busy can be as much of a hurdle to achieving my goals as being lazy is. It is incredible how much of my office I can (and want to) sort out and rearrange when I have a talk to prepare for or a Christmas Service to plan (yes... in October...). I can very easily keep myself busy with lots of things, giving the illusion of productivity but not really achieving much.

I think, for me, this stems from two things: fear of failure (that I might get things wrong), and the ease of taking the path of least resistance (that I might make enemies along the way). I also think that I'm not the only one who finds doing the significant things in life challenging for those reasons. Maybe you have been thinking about asking for a raise, but don't want to seem greedy. Maybe you've been wondering about a career change, but it's easier to keep the status quo than to go through the ups and downs of job applications or further study.

If this was a movie plot, you would read this blog, be motivated to "go for it," succeed and live happily ever after. But that's not the way it always goes. In fact, that's not the way it ever goes, except in the movies. Here's the bad news: You will probably fail more often than you will succeed. Think about it. In an Olympic 100m race, eight athletes who have trained their whole lives for this, will run in a race where only one of them takes gold. That means seven out of eight will not reach their goal. That's 87.5%. Hundreds of people will apply for a job that only one person will get. Simply "going for it" will not guarantee success.

However, not "going for it" will guarantee failure. Even bad odds are better than not trying. The key is to keep on trying. Keep on working. Keep on running that race. Keep on entering the fight. I suppose the story Jesus told of the servants and the talents brought this home for me. The third one in line didn't get in trouble for trying and failing, but for not trying at all. Do you have any idea how much power, potential and authority you carry by just being alive? Do you have any idea how much worth and goodness you can bring to the world? Do you have any idea how much you being here, in this moment, doing what you love for those you love (and hate...) is worth? Do you not know how much love, goodness, kindness, justice and mercy your being here can bring forth and multiply?

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galatians 6:9

This isn't prosperity gospel. This is a call, a challenge, an encouragement not to give up doing all the good we can to all the people we meet, because it matters that we try, rather than succeed. The success of our doing good is not up to us.

So I'm going to write more. I'm going to be more disciplined in posting a new blog at least once every two weeks. If this is in any way helpful to bring a little hope, a little peace, a little laughter, a little more love to this world, then I will be remiss if I fail to do so. Even in
November...

Selah.