Dear friends and members of University UMC:
A trip to the grocery store earlier this week tells me a new school year is around the corner. There’s something hopeful and wholesome about seeing brand new school supplies lined up on the shelves. Pencils waiting to be sharpened and notebooks waiting for their empty pages to be filled are indications that something new is on the horizon. For some of us, the fun of shopping for school supplies is mixed with feelings of anxiety as we anticipate the Fall season with busier morning routines, lunches to pack, and carpools to coordinate. While this is perhaps especially true for students and parents of children in school, my guess is the start of August brings a busier pace for others as well. Maybe your summer has been filled with slow days and chill vibes, but most people I know say these summer weeks have flown by. Some of us are desperately trying to find a way to add another week or so into the calendar before the first day of school.
All of this is a reason for me to remember to embrace an abundance instead of a scarcity mindset. The wisdom in a theology of abundance trusts that God has given us all we need to do what God has called us to do. The foolishness of a theology of scarcity is convinced there is never enough. Usually I hear church consultants teaching about the difference between a scarcity and abundance mindset when it comes to finances and people. Time is another resource I’d add. I’ll admit it is difficult to look at my calendar and believe that there is an abundance of time for everything. Perhaps a timid first faithful step is trying to believe there is enough time.
Early on in my ministry, a mentor told me: “Enough is a grace-filled word.” How would we approach each new day if we believed there was enough time to do everything we need and want to do? What would it look like to believe there is even enough time to do all God is calling us to do, including praying? Pastors are most certainly among those who claim there isn’t enough time to pray.
There are many ways to pray. Speaking to God—prayer petitions filled with concerns and pleas for help. Sitting in meditative silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Reading a small piece of scripture and considering the word or phrase that grabs your attention. Walking mindfully to notice the beauty of creation. Journaling as you reflect upon the day. There are, of course, as many different ways of praying as there are people upon this earth. I even have a friend who is convinced there is no God, but she says she has an active prayer life that includes disciplined awareness about the places throughout her day where she sees beauty and the moments where she experiences a sense of awe. (I thought about telling her that I believe Beauty and The Ultimate Source of Awe are other names for God, but my thoughts and opinions are not of primary importance here!)
The late theologian Martin Luther was known for saying this: “Tomorrow I plan to work, work, from early until late. In fact I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer.” This sounds counterintuitive, but there is a profound need for intentional time apart—especially when schedules and calendars are crowded. Time for prayer recenters us and grounds us in the knowledge that there is a God, and it isn’t us. Time for silence and meditation helps us to remember what is truly most important in life. And time to reflect upon each day forms us as people who are more attentive to special moments in life.
I’m writing these words to remind myself. Others of you might need the reminder, too.
Years ago I purchased a notepad from a company called Salt and Light.
