Countdown

According to the countdown app on my phone I’ve got 2 weeks and 2 days – or 387 hours until I board a plane for Lima, Peru. Then will begin what I hope will truly be a Journey to Renewal. I will be on a three month sabbatical from May 1st to July 31st. And this is my blog journal. I hope that it keeps us connected while I’m away from my church family.

I keep the countdown app running to keep me focused on what I need to get done before I can go. It prods me to action and at times gets me a little stressed. 387 hours? I start wondering, how am I going to get this project done or finish that action item in time? At times it raises the anxiety level until I turn to God and realize that the answer is the same as it’s always been, “I will, with God’s help.”

My little countdown app doesn’t stress God out. He’s not intimidated that we are now down to 23,247 minutes. He just continues to be faithful and to be effective. But I’ve changed. I’ve changed what I’m willing to hand off to other people. I’ve changed my mindset and I see God doing a new thing. You see God hasn’t helped me to accomplish each task like I’d been asking. Instead God has been raising up leaders to own whole projects. As the countdown forces me to give up control I’m discovering I like God’s new plan a whole lot better.

I just hope that I can remember God’s new way when I get back from Sabbatical. If you see me forgetting somebody slap me.