Embracing the Unexpected

FROM THE ASSOCIATE RECTOR

Have you ever been told that you can tell where or what your priorities are by where you spend your money? I’ve heard it more than once, usually around pledge time, and it’s stuck with me because where we put our money is a good indication of what we value and where our priorities are. I wonder what we might learn from paying attention to our calendars and how we spend our time.

I heard more than once during the times of covid isolation that people were grateful to spend more time with their family, less time at the office, more time cooking together, and less time hustling from activity to activity. A recurring theme included having a slower pace of life. While it was necessitated by the pandemic and fueled by fear of getting or giving covid, we were given a glimpse of what life is like at a different pace.

During our Adult Forum this July, we’ve been discussing Steven Charleston’s Ladder to the Light. In his chapter “The Rung of Action,” Charleston offers some practical ways to restore hope in one another, community, and even religious institutions. Among his suggestions, he said that as a Native American, within his tradition, “we do the unexpected” (p.94).

Charleston goes into his explanation of what is unexpected, and I offer you both invitation and inspiration to allow room for the unexpected. If you’re like me, your calendar is packed with commitments. What room does that leave for spontaneity? What room does that leave for us to breathe and allow the Holy Spirit to give us her inspiration (unless you’re one of those brilliant people who put “daydreaming” or “wondering” on your calendar!)? During the height of the pandemic we had to draw in more closely to ourselves, our circles got smaller, and if we paid attention, we realized or remembered what we value or appreciate about ourselves and our lives. We also learned what we missed when we didn’t have access to it.

This week, rather unintentionally, I’ve been on a streak of doing something unplanned, totally spontaneous, and beautifully life-giving and loving. I didn’t think I would go to see the Barbie movie with my youngest, but we did and laughed so much! I wasn’t planning for a Eucharistic visit that happened, but I can’t imagine not having taken the time to be present in that holy, sincere way. I didn’t schedule a blood donation this Wednesday, but the mobile unit was at the hospital I was visiting. I wondered as I did these things if I had the time while at the same time knowing I couldn’t imagine doing anything else. God’s grace shows up like that sometimes if not most times: unexpected, unscheduled, and delightfully surprising even if in gentle, subtle ways.

I hope that wherever you are these days—and especially if you’re at St. Paul’s—that you find ways to show up and be present in delightfully surprising ways, too. Sure, we can help you pack your calendar with good things, but we trust you to be on the lookout for the holy, unexpected invitations.

Sara+