(Setting: Baby napping. Big kids playing a moderately quiet game in their room that hopefully does not involve either tearing library books or coloring all of Dylan with Addie’s play make-up.)
Recently, I’ve had a new epiphany that has brought me some comfort in a life punctuated by feelings of inadequacy. Several times recently pastors or teachers have brought up the point that our “spiritual life” shouldn’t be a category within our life into which we push all spiritual things. My pastor showed a pie chart with one portion as “God” and other areas like “Work,” “Friends,” etc. He shared that divisions like this mean that when we want to get more “spiritual,” other areas of our life tend to suffer. Then people who are in those other areas may resent the fact that they got shoved out by “GOD” or “CHURCH.” He showed a second graphic that looked like a wheel with “GOD” in the hub and all the other areas of life around it. This, he said, is more what we should do.
Well, ABOUT TIME! I realize that for years I have been trying to divide up my pie chart to allow for a spiritual life all the while failing to notice that, at least for me, this does not work. My faith, I hope, is the hub of my life and naturally inserts itself into my day on countless occasions if I would only stop to notice them and reflect on them. This is not to say that I wouldn’t love to sit down for a little quiet prayer time now and then; I would. (The words in italics sing to me like the sirens!!) It just means that, thankfully, I have a God who knows what my life looks like and isn’t waiting for a cloistered moment of solitude to teach me about Himself.
So, “The Hub” will be the category, ironic-I know, for sharing ways that God taught me something in the midst of a messy life.
Love this.