Out of Rhythm After Travel
I look up to the mountains;
does my strength come from mountains?
No, my strength comes from GOD,
who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.
— Psalm 121:1-2 (The Message)
Dear Church Family,
We are just back from vacation. For the last year and a half, Kristen and I have been planning this special trip to Ireland for our 30th anniversary, and it was everything we had hoped it would be. The days were filled with green hills, castles and ruins, traditional music, pubs, great food, and conversations with locals that made us smile. It had just the right amount of planning and open space for adventure. We loved it and are truly grateful we got to make this happen.
After 22 hours of travel, we arrived home on Sunday evening. Taking the advice of others, we went right to sleep so we could get adjusted back to this time zone. But even after all that careful preparation, I can tell you: it's been a hard week. I don't know if it's jet lag, just getting back into the swing of things, or something in the air, but I haven't quite felt like myself.
We all know that stepping back into daily routines and work after travel can be a challenge. There is the overflowing email inbox. On Tuesday, we had a staff meeting where I tried to get back up to speed on what's been happening while I was away. I spent time trying to reconnect with people and projects I was working on before we left. But my brain has struggled to keep up.
And, truthfully, I think I dropped a lot of the balls that have been tossed in my direction — up to and including nearly missing this article until Emily asked, "How is your View article coming?" After a few days, it feels like I'm ready for vacation again.
But then I realized that I had stepped back into my "work," but I hadn't stepped back into the "Source" of that work: God. (Yes, pastors don't always get the spiritual stuff right when it comes to our own lives.) As I sat on the couch in my office after another "getting up to speed" meeting, I found myself stuck. It was then that I looked down at the coffee table and saw my copy of A Rhythm of Prayer. And my brain said, "Oh, that's the problem."
You see, I've been out of rhythm this week because I hadn't stepped back into the rhythm of God's grace. The rhythm that reminds me that I'm not doing this alone. The tempo that guides the pace of ministry and nudges me to recognize that it's not "work" I am called to, but a relationship with God that guides this work.
And so, I stopped. I flipped open the book and found Rev. Mihee Kim-Kort's chapter entitled "This Is How We'll Make It." In that piece, she describes the same feeling I've been wrestling with. She describes feeling out of rhythm with her life and God's Spirit. But she highlighted the need to continue stepping out, trusting that God's mercy will bring us back in step.
Here is how she described moving forward:
So, I keep going. I roll out of bed and land on my knees. Push myself up. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and do the sanctified work that is breathing. And I keep looking. Keep seeing. Keep feeling. Keep trying to love like there's no tomorrow. Love hard; love recklessly. Hug a little longer… let the sweat that rolls off my face after a long run be an anointing. Laugh, cook, drink, clean, make a huge mess, sit and stare out the window… All of it is necessary for life right now.
—From A Rhythm of Prayer, edited by Sarah Bessey
I miss being in Ireland. I'm still thinking about the rolling green hills filled with sheep and the ease of time without a schedule. But I am home. I am back where I am supposed to be. And I can't help but think of the Psalmist's words in Psalm 121 that tell us the strength we need when we are out of rhythm doesn't come from vacations, plans, or anything else. It comes from remembering that God is the source of our strength. The same God who made it all is there for us.
So, today, I may have dropped a few balls. I may have made a couple of messes while trying to clean up. But I will keep moving forward, in the grace of God, and trust that I will fall back into the rhythm of the One who loves us all.
With God's Love and Renewal,
Pastor Karl
