Kick, Stroke, Breathe, Change Direction

I can find any number of distractions from getting certain things done.  I sat down to write this  column…. oh look, my desk needs to be cleaned off.  Oh, I need to call so and so about visiting next week.  Oh, I need to complete such and such before that meeting next week. Oh, another email just arrived – I wonder if so and so responded to my question.  Did I make that change in next week’s worship bulletin?  Did I get those plans done for the Women’s Retreat?  Oh my, there’s a text message from Dan saying he’s left his office and will be home in an hour…oh my, how did it get to be 5:30 already.  What did I get done today?!

I’m not always a procrastinator; I primarily put off things that I’m not certain about.  I’m at the gym and swimming by 5:30 every morning.  I’m confident about my ability to swim laps while pacing my breathing, knowing to watch ahead of me so I can flip over at the end of the pool to change direction.  I know when I need to swim on my back so I can slow down my breathing and let my heart rest a bit.  I instinctively know when my 45 minutes of pool time is over and it’s time to move on with the day. I have a solid handle on the pace of this routine: kick, stroke, breathe, kick, stroke, breathe, kick stroke, breathe, change direction, kick, stroke, breathe.

Once I’m out of my routine, outside my comfort zone, or creating a new pattern, I struggle to focus and be productive. Patterns and routines help us to stay on task, to work toward the visions and goals we’ve set.  Kick, stroke, breathe, kick, stroke, breathe, kick stroke, breathe, change direction, kick, stroke, breathe. The pattern keeps me moving forward through the water and through time toward the end goal.

What are your thoughts about the future?  Have you ever wondered what your life will be like in 5 years? Ten years?  Twenty-Five years?  It’s difficult to make plans when we don’t know what else will be happening in the world around us.  Yet each of us has an idea of what we’d like to happen.  We have hopes, dreams, and often a vision for the future.  What are the patterns we need to develop to get there?  Are we kicking toward the future, or putting it off, distracted by this moments whims?  Are we taking time to breathe in God’s Spirit so we can regain our sense of direction and re-orient ourselves toward the goal?  Are we making strokes that are productively moving us or just waving our arms? 

Kick, stroke, breathe, kick, stroke, breathe, change direction, kick, stroke, breathe.

In our congregation, we’ve worked through the basics of swimming in these unknown waters of the 21^st Century: the Alban Plan has filled the pool with hopeful waters and provided excellent orientation and direction; our staff, leadership, and ministry teams are working together to make efficient strokes that propel us forward to the goals of healthy, life-giving ministries that move us to be the voices for grace-filled justice and extravagant love; engaging opportunities to nurture and grow faith; and a plan for a self-sustaining building so that our resources can be put into reaching out to others.  And worship offers us the breath and revitalization to nourish our bodies and rest our souls.

Kick, stroke, breathe, kick, stroke, breathe, change direction, kick, stroke, breathe.

Wait, change direction?  The future of Christianity requires us to keep swimming and constantly change direction. We will need to take our heads out of the water, look around to see where we are, take a deep breath, and redirect ourselves toward God’s future so we don’t knock our heads against the wall. If we don’t take time to breathe in God’s Spirit, we will drown in these moving waters. We need to lift our heads above the surface and breathe deeply of God’s life-giving Spirit so that we have the energy to turn ourselves around again and again. 

Kick, stroke, breathe, kick, stroke, breathe, change direction, kick, stroke, breathe.

In the heat of this August day, I invite you to take the plunge with me.  Let’s move back into the waters of growing faith – Accepting All, Reaching Out, and Touching Lives – breathing in God’s guidance as we go.