The Next Big Thing
by Rev. Dr. Amy Chilton on 05/23/24
June is a month of transitions - especially
for students and teachers. The preschool children at Little Shepherd have been
going to and from the sanctuary all week to practice for their upcoming
graduation. I spent the other evening at the Honor Society awards night for my
own daughter, who is graduating highschool in just a few weeks. Our teachers
are finishing up an academic year and starting their much deserved summer break
before they return next year to a fresh crop of students.
Life is full of transitions, from our first breath to our last. Some of them are large transitions - moves, graduations, marriages, divorces, job changes - and some of them are small - outgrowing your favorite shoes or pants (for kids or adults!). Growing up programs us to ask and expect that there will be a NEXT BIG THING, a graduation, a job change, a move. I don’t know about you, but I find it easy to get caught in trying to figure out and control what that NEXT BIG THING is.
Even Jesus worried about the next big thing. Remember the time he knew his end was near and he spent the night praying in the garden with his sleepy friends who couldn’t stay awake with him in his own dark night of the soul? That night he was “distressed and agitated,” “deeply grieved” and begged God to change what he was facing (Mark 14:32-36).
What I want to suggest is that when we are facing the NEXT BIG THING we might lower our gaze from the hoped for or feared future to what is right in front of us. Are there things we need to do now, today, to live out our faith in this world? Are there people who need to be loved now with a kind word or small act of service? And are there moments now that we might pause in prayer, much like Jesus did?
In Philippians 4, Paul encouraged his readers to substitute worry for prayer. “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (4:6-7).
So, during this month of transitions for our students and educators and during lifetimes full of transitions, I encourage you to find some moments in your day to take your eyes off the NEXT BIG THING and look around you. How can you love and serve and pray now?
And, when you get a moment, send some prayers up for our students and educators that they will finish this year strong and that the Spirit might guide them into whatever is next!
Blessings,
Pastor Amy
