At some point we have all anxiously waited for something good to come. Perhaps a trip or holiday filled us with such anticipation that it made normal life each day hard to move through.
Then there's the other side... dread. Something bad is on the horizon and there is nothing we can do to stop it. It moves towards us "X-ing" off days of the week one after another, like a stalking beast, only the jaws soundtrack of the shark attack is missing.
The awareness that events are approaching is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, in out fast-paced world it is virtually impossible to do ANYTHING without scheduling it weeks in advance. So we schedule things. Vacations, gatherings, parties and such are always fun to look forward to, even when they demand extra effort. But we also have to schedule other things like doctor appointments and surgical procedures, our last day on the job or in the house.
As I sit and reflect on the yearly calendar in front of me, many thoughts come to mind. Many dates are marked with great events that happened during the year, There are also some days it would be nice to just erase and pretend they never happened. Whether we want it or not, the end of 2021 is only two weeks away. Probably not the best year for most of us. 2020 was even worse and yet still manages somehow to continue clawing its way into the present. Is it just me or are there some news stories that will -- not -- die! Two more weeks...
Of course, you and I know that the calendar is arbitrary and January 1, 2022 is just one more day in a long string of days. But is it just one more day? Right now there are lots of things that we have put on hold until "after the holidays." We have family events and parties and shopping and travel to deal with right now and all the big plans, changes and stuff for the future will just have to wait until the new year. Whether things of dread or excitement they will all have to wait... two more weeks...
The elders want us to start over in 2022. Close the door on the last couple of years. Say good-bye to shutting down, to "TV church" and to "social distancing." They want us to begin again the things that have dropped; take inventory of where we are, chart a new course and set sail. Individually and congregationally they want us to start again. It won't be instant. It won't be effortless. It won't bee
without determined purposefulness. Two more weeks... and then push reset.
- Tim Orbison