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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
When we did our series on the 12 steps, I talked about the struggle I have as a diabetic from eating the way I should. I said I know what I need to be doing, but I just can’t seem to do it, quoting from Paul that I don’t do the things I should do, but do the very things I know I shouldn’t.
But, after it was over, I got to thinking about what that actually meant for me. Afterall, I was talking about a program that helps people stop using drugs or alcohol or other things to help them self-soothe. If millions of people can do that with those substances, then surely, I can get my food intake under control. So, I started working on it.
My A1C has hovered around the mid-7s for the past few years, going up a little or down a little, but largely unchanged. But, at my last appointment a few weeks ago I was at 6.7. At my next appointment in June, I am hoping to have it even lower. But, it’s work, and its hard choices. And the other piece is that although I know the seeds have been planted, it takes awhile to see the full results. While my 90-day average sugars are down, they still don’t reflect the harder work of the past two months because they have the high sugars from the month before still being reflected. But, I know those flowers are about to bloom.
Of course, as I wait for these results it’s a little easier, because I can see some things immediately and I know that ultimately, it’s only waiting 90 days to see the true averages being reflected. That is not true on many things that we do. We plant the seeds of change and begin to do the work, and then we don’t see the results, sometimes for a long time. And that can get frustrating and can even make us want to give up sometimes thinking “Why keep doing the hard work if I never see the results?” And so it’s about holding on, knowing that we will see the results eventually. The harvest will come in, we just have to be patient and ready.
Obviously, what’s true in life is also true in the church. We often start planting seeds on things and it takes a long time to see them start to grow and bloom. And not every seed planted will ever actually take root, and that’s a lesson in life too. And it’s okay when that happens, because there is a season for everything. The only time it’s not okay is when we planted but then didn’t do the work to try and make it successful. If we aren’t feeding and watering it, or giving it proper sunshine, then its failure is not on the seed, that’s on us.
At the beginning of this year, knowing there was a possibility that I could receive a new appointment, I told the staff that I wanted to start focusing on some projects that have been in conversation or planning stages for a long time and move them forward. If I was to be moved, these are things I wouldn’t want to have to leave to a new pastor to have to deal with. And if I was staying, which I am, then they would be helpful to me as well.
It has sometimes seemed to me that some of these seeds have died in the ground because we weren’t making any progress, and yet they just needed some time to germinate. Some of them, like the technology upgrades in the sanctuary, have born fruit. And there are more seeds for that project. And other projects out there I am hopeful that we will begin to see the first shoots start to come up very soon.
Some of these projects will be noticeable to you, and some will be things that you won’t see at all. We are working on IT upgrades that won’t impact any of you directly, but will make the staff’s jobs much easier, better and more efficient. And then there are some projects that we haven’t even begun plowing the ground for yet, but that I hope will be generating new fruit for years to come.
Some of these projects could use some of your assistance. Below in the newsletter there are some tasks around the campus that we need to have accomplished both to help us improve things for the 75th anniversary celebration and the Bishop’s visit in just over a month. Some are small and some are more involved, but they don’t have to be done on a particular day or time, just at your availability. We will also be holding a painting day Saturday, May 2, starting at 9 am.
Not all seeds grow at the same speed, and not all seeds take the same amount of work to get them growing and thriving. So, remember your patience when necessary and keep doing the hard work, feeding, watering, getting sunlight, to give your seeds the best chance they have to produce the fruits that we hope to see.
Blessings,
John
What I Am Currently Reading:
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Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson and the Opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose
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Jane Austen's Bookshelf by Rebecca Romney
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