Passion and Porridge

In 1980 after nine years of serving country and small town ministries, I moved to the urban world where I spent the next 30 plus years.  The differences are obvious, but the changes which took place in my spirit were much more subtle.  The move from rural to urban took me to larger congregations, larger salaries, and to the more competitive world which really does exist within the church.  Without really being conscious of how acclimation to a different work environment affected my spirit, I started running the race that immersed me deeper in the noise and busyness.    

It was only when I left the pulpit for the farm in retirement that I realized how much I had missed the silence, the solitude, and the different pace.  When I see folks lost in their nine to five world, I often wish I could pick them up, transport them to the world of silence and solitude for a couple of weeks, but, alas, it is no more possible now for them than it was for me back then.  It is not that the work is bad, but that we get out of balance.  

What we do and what we accomplish becomes more important than who we are.  It becomes more important than being with the people who share life with us.  Feeding and caring for our body is important, but it is also important to feed and care for our soul.  God created us to be passionate about who He created us to be.  It is too easy to sell the passion within us for a bowl of porridge which in the end makes us sick to our stomach.