In this, the third and final blog for this week we are building on the two previous points which are:
- Our discipleship to Jesus thrives in the same way as any other relationship: time.
- There is a natural tendency to focus on the activity which fills the time. This is sometimes helpful, but sometimes distracts us from the goal of the time, which is…time.
Embracing this truth actually gives us a wonderful freedom, and should be a relief to those of us who miss Jesus. There is not a course which we need to attend or certificate we need to earn. There is not even a required number of hours we need to clock up before we are allowed back into the gang. Like any good friend, we are welcomed back immediately and fully, and then once we are focussed on Christ, we begin to realise that we do indeed enjoy his presence and value our discipleship.
It also means we do not have to pigeon hole our personal discipleship into the same shape as anyone else. In fact, it will be best if we don’t! We each have a unique personality. We each appreciate different things, learn differently, appreciate different levels of sound/activity/hours of the day….so why not use all of these things to your advantage?
So we have a final question.
If the best way to develop a strong core, and to create a meaningful relationship with Jesus is to send time with him…then where is he?!
Where do we find him in order that we could spend time with him?
Well…I will start a list. It is NOT exhaustive and it is totally shaped by my own experiences and preferences. Take it with those caveats and then run with it. Add to it, adapt it and improve it. Discover a million ways in which you connect most with the Master. Experiment with more ways in which you can follow Jesus and spend time getting to know his voice and his ways. Some of us are creatures of habit who will lean strongly on one particular activity and habit of practice. Others get bored easily and will benefit from a wide variety of practices. All of us though, will develop a stronger, more robust, resilient and joy-filled faith if we begin a consistent habit of time dedicated to our relationship with Jesus.
So: here are some places you might find him (though you’ll have to look, he is too humble to always be centre-stage)
In early morning sunsets and beachside sunsets.
In the grandeur of mountains and crashing ocean waves.
In the smell of freshly cut grass, toasted marshmallows and freshly baked sourdough.
He appears on every page of the each story in the Bible.
He is in the life stories of old saints and modern heroes.
He is usually to be found in the service of the poor, the sick and the lonely.
He is easily spotted among children and the elderly.
If you fight for justice you can’t fail to spot his presence.
He is in joy-filled, high volume, fast paced, paint spraying celebration.
He is in rest, solitude and sabbath.
He is in conversation with other disciples, in the sharing of bread, the stillness of the night.
He is in the party and equally in the moment of pain.
He resides among the creatives, the story-tellers and truth-sayers.
He lives with those who have no home.
He is to be found in routine, habit and disciplined learning.
He is in the complex words of theologians, the lyrical words of song-writers and the babbled words to toddlers.
He is found in freedom, in spontaneity and haphazard efforts to follow.
He is in wordless prayers and expressions of doubt.
He is there to provide support in the moments addiction looms large
He is there to provide comfort in the dark nights which never end.
I discover more about him when I study, pray, thank, give, care, cry, read, write, create, admire beauty, become aware of my smallness, rest, listen, kneel, serve, forgive, journal, sing and….
Your turn.