A congregation of the United Church of Canada
I am back. It was lovely to be apart for a while this summer to do some resting and rejuvenating. I liken ministers’ holidays to respite care. It is a blessing to receive the gift of a time away from big responsibilities, but there is always a sense that those things are going to still all be there when you return. I am very grateful for the respite.
What did I do while away? Whatever she told me to! (Lol. Just kidding!) I played a lot of music, I read a few books, and mostly I enjoyed watching the completion of our home renovations! Well, almost.
Our kitchen and ensuite bath are now fully functional and look spectacular. We love it! We have already hosted a couple of social events and revelled and basked in the glow of the oohs and aahs of guests who see these shiny new spaces. And we’re even getting better at opening the right cupboard to find the thing we’re looking for.
So why did I say ‘almost’? It’s because it’s finished, but it’s not quite completed. We’re in the seemingly endless stage of attending to little things, like back-ordered items, misaligned drawers, and all those niggling little odds and ends that need fixing, correction, or completion. You know, like a door to our bathroom! (Don’t ask!)
I guess that’s the ‘noticing’ tie in for today. Like our reno, our faith journey is never completely finished because we are never completely finished learning, growing deeper, and becoming more loving. God is still working on those niggling things in us. And some of our parts are on endless backorder, it seems! The secret is to be grateful for your heart’s ongoing ‘renovations’ even though there are some messy bits still underway, and to go ahead and share your renovated spirit even though it’s not quite perfect yet. No one but you will probably notice anyway!