“If it doesn’t belong to you, keep your paws off it.”
Dear Friends in Christ –
“If it doesn’t belong to you, keep your paws off it.” I say this to my young son pretty much every day, because he knows what he wants and when he sees it within reach, he just can’t help himself. A few days ago, after the 47 millionth time I said it, I wondered aloud to my husband, “What’s the problem? Why can’t he just leave it alone?”
Of course, I already know the answer to the question. The reason he can’t keep his hands off it is because he wants it SOOOO badly. And even if it doesn’t belong to him, he thinks that if he can just hold it for a moment, something in his little self will be better, happier.
“If it doesn’t belong to you, keep your paws off it.” The truth is, in over 40 years of living, I still haven’t totally learned this lesson. There are so many things that I want so badly – good things – for myself, for others – that I want to help, to put my hands on things that aren’t mine to do. At home and at church.
It’s dangerous for me not to be able to keep my hands off things. As rector, I’m expected to oversee this parish, but the parish is not “mine.” It’s God’s. It’s ours. But it’s not mine.
It’s hard to remember that it’s not “mine,” though, when I read articles and go to clergy gatherings where there’s talk about leaders who make things happen and a rector’s responsibility to “grow the parish.” I often think, “Oh, I should be doing this.” Or, “Oh, we need to do that, and I should get it started.” I feel pulled toward the glittering goal, and something in me thinks, “Yes, that can be mine, if I just reach out and grab it.
I wouldn’t have accepted this calling if I didn’t want to see traditions thrive and new programs rise and more people find wholeness in relationship with God. I have to remember, though, that THIS whole glorious sandbox is God’s. All of it. The people, the buildings, the vision. God lets me play in His sandbox, but He gets to make the rules about what I can touch, and when.
Summer is a great time to play in the sandbox. To dream and plan, to experiment with building this little thing here, to sketch out something that might fit over there. As your ministry team leaders and I play in the church sandbox this summer, please pray a blessing on our efforts. Pray that, in due time, just enough heavenly rain will come to stick together the things that are supposed to last. And, for those things that don’t belong to me/us, I’ll be able to keep my paws off!
Blessings,
Janet+
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