Thoughts from DS Olivia

I was born a few weeks early and spit up as a baby like it was my full-time job. My doctor told my mom that the little valve between my throat and my stomach probably would always cause me problems. Sure enough, I’ve had some issues with acid reflux for years. I decided to go to the doctor and get my throat scoped because lately, things have been worse than normal. On September 14 I went in for the endoscopy. It all went well--some tightening they stretched with a balloon, a few biopsies that are normal, and I was sent home.

What wasn’t routine about my visit were the conversations I had with the nurses and technicians who were getting me ready to go back for the procedure. It all started when they asked my date of birth and I happened to share a birthday with one of the medical professionals. I joked that being born on the 20th of December and having a dad who was a pastor meant I was a little bitter at Baby Jesus for messing my birthday plans up when I was a kid. We laughed and I told them I grew up and got over it and am a pastor now too. I didn’t intend to have this conversation at 6:45 in the morning while having my blood pressure checked! 

One of them asked me about being a pastor and I described this role I’m in. “That is so cool!” she said. The one who shares my birthday talked about his birth story and how everyone in the room with his mother was laughing so hard over something that happened that he says he should have been named Isaac, which means laughter. He then told me of his friend in Kenya and the visits he has had to go to the churches this friend has planted. I told him about my trips to Kenya and how we have people heading there from our district in a few weeks. The other nurse standing nearby heard us talking about the impact of our faith in our lives.

What a surprise! What a gift to have had these short conversations about spiritual things. 

Often we get so discouraged by what seems like the lack of Christians in the world around us. Often it seems hard to imagine what the church might look like with all of the decline we are feeling and seeing. We often wonder if we can have spiritual conversations, tell the truth about who we are and what we believe, or if we will be treated weirdly or even with hostility. This is all a reality, but it isn’t the only truth. On a gurney early in the morning last week I saw something else. I made a joke that opened a door, that led to a conversation, that reminded me that God is at work in all places, in all people, and at all times. 

We don’t have to be afraid of the challenges! Jesus called us to go into all the world to share the Good News. So, with joy, we can walk into getting our throat scoped and know that God is there and we can partner with what God is already doing by shining a little light and sharing a little faith and bringing a little hope. And who knows what God will do with our little bit of faithfulness to bring about the Kingdom of God right here in our neighborhoods?

Pastor Olivia