Do Not Hurry

Spirituality is a lot like gardening. We can sow seeds. We can plant them.  We can water them, even prune them. Yet, there is one thing we cannot do, rush or grow them.  Farmers are conscious of the weather changes. If there is too much sun and no rain, their crops will be dried out. If there is too much rain and no sunshine, their produce will be washed out. As much as we cannot control external factors like weather changes, we too cannot control internal growth of plants.

My little plant. Growing slowly but surely.

In the age of the Internet, a 24x7 world, as a quick-fix society accelerates toward a frenetic "quickest-fix-wins" race, it is easy for Christians to be sucked in this race of hurrying toward the latest and the greatest gizmos for ministry work.

• Make sure your Church has a Facebook page or a Twitter account;
• Get your leaders on the social media world
• Publicize your Church widely through all kinds of media
• Communicate rapidly
• ....

The list goes on. Is digital spirituality the way forward for the Church? Will greater online involvement result in more meaningful connections? My feel is that, these things help but they do not replace the need for personal interactions. One thing remains true. Pastoral care and spirituality is like gardening. We cannot rush it. We cannot hurry growth. We can only cultivate patiently and wait earnestly. Don't be distracted by the gizmos of this world. Be focused on God. Ask God to speak to us in the quietness of our souls amid the noises around us. Pastors are gardeners and are called to be active participants in the gardening of the soul.


This video clip by Eugene Peterson is worth watching. It reminds us that pastors have a tremendous advantage over TV, Internet, technological gadgets of this age. This is because while technology provide avenues for digital connections, pastors have the opportunities to make meaningful human connections from day to day.


 

"Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:30-31)

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