Reflections by Rev. Grant Dawson

Some thoughts on stepping outside

One of the most life-giving experiences we can have is to step out from an enclosed space into the open air. 

You have been trapped  in that tiny meeting room surrounded by papers and words all morning, and then you step out alone into the hallway and are able just to breathe in the quiet.

You have been sitting in your cramped seat on the airliner for nine hours, and then are able to get up and walk out into the vast, refreshing spaces of the airport.

That is what the good news that Jesus proclaimed gives us—space, a new place to be, a broader view of the world., and of our niche in it.

If you feel captured by a routine that is suffocating you, the Gospel says, “Try something new or do familiar things in different ways.” 

If you find yourself running around in circles, having the same discussions that go nowhere or engaged in the same disputes that are never solved, the Gospel says, “Then choose another route or find new words to say or explore new ways to react.”

If you feel you have done all you can, and the problem is not fading, the Gospel says, “Then tackle some other predicament right now and be creative there until you’re revitalized enough to go back to explore the old dilemma again with new strategies and new insights.” 

Jesus says to our times, “I am the space of the world. Look around. See what’s out there. Explore it and learn and grow. And then, as a result of doing these things, constantly discover the new life that I am giving you, and the broad space you have to investigate and transform.”

Grant

A Prayer 

Loving Eternal Guide, please help me to discover the wisdom that reminds me that I don’t need to go around banging my head against the same wall over and over again. But rather help me to remember that sometimes I can go around the wall or maybe just built a ladder to go over it. 

Amen.