Month: January 2023

It’s still January for a few more minutes and while I am not a huge fan of New Year’s Resolutions, I do appreciate self-examination. So the question today is how does your spending reflect your values?

I started this train of thought because my son is getting married to a wonderful person. As we talked about their wedding plans, it became clear what was important to them. I was moved by their thoughtfulness. I also told them the things that were important to me, and significantly what I was willing to pay for as a contribution to the day.

What I valued was not a surprise to any of us, and I was happy to help in any way with their plans. That is also a value to me- supporting my family, lifting up their priorities, being together. And my credit card charges reflect that. They also reflect other things, like spending time with friends, eating good food, etc.

It isn’t about finding fault or feeling guilty. It’s about intention. It’s about making sure your values are clear to you and the world. Or maybe there is room for some change. You don’t know until you know.

Money is a powerful thing. A valuable tool. It can be used for holy purposes and good work, to build relationships, to support the common good. How do we appreciate its role in our lives and give it only the energy it deserves? Another good thing to reflect on.

I’m sure the upcoming wedding will provide many more opportunities for pondering in the coming months.

I have been worrying about money lately. It’s January, and that means budgets. It’s a challenging year for everyone, and that trickles down to the places people support. Tough decisions have to be made. Cuts and compromises. This is no different than we do in our own homes. But in a space that holds diverse needs and priorities, and every decision has pros and cons, things can get complicated. It feels like there is no good decision. And that is because there isn’t.

It isn’t anyone’s fault. I know some of my beloved clergy colleagues are taking this year hard. Church leadership feels extreme pressure to make everyone happy. But no one thing or one person caused global economic crisis, a pandemic, and the anxieties and griefs all the changes of the past 3 years brings. And there are no easy ways to fix the consequences.

Of course this calls to task our faithfulness. If we trust God enough certainly all will be well. But that is not what God promises. God promises to be with us in all things, good and bad. God promises to love us no matter what. Trust in God is never misplaced, but using that trust to sway God to a particular outcome is probably not a good strategy. All will be well. It is just not clear how.

My spiritual director asked me what this all means in terms of our (my) spiritual life. And I deeply believe that where we will be judged is by how we treat one another. Civility is the lowest bar. Will we really listen to opposing views? Will we treat with respect people with whom we disagree? Will we believe in each other, that we all want what is best for our beloved church? Will we love one another, and those whose lives we impact, as members of the Body of Christ?

I’m not sure what the answer to our money problems will be but I know that we need to build a foundation of growth and abundance, an attitude of respect and a genuine discernment of God’s will. We will have money issues every year. It’s the nature of church life that hard decisions always have to be made. I feel blessed to be wrestling with these hard questions with people who are kind and caring. If we take care of each other, the church will be fine.

Holding my church and your church in prayer during these challenging times.

I finally got my latest COVID booster. I had been waiting since August for a time I could be sick for a few days, because I heard this one was rough. Eventually you have to take your chances for the greater good. I was thinking of Boar’s Head in particular. And I got it, and was at work the next day with only minimal yuckiness.

I was telling a friend this story and she said there is a new COVID variant out there, heading straight for us like a hurricane. She had heard that the booster I just got didn’t help much against the newest strain. We talked about the choices we were making in terms of social gatherings and work schedules, and shrugged our shoulders. Who knows what is best?

When I got home I looked up information on the new variant, and the booster does help according to CNN. I was relieved about that. I wanted to think that everything was going to be fine, but that is simply something no one can say. I have been careful but doing mostly what I want to do. Maybe I should start wearing a mask again. My life is complicated by lots of large gatherings and the fact that I have grandkids I want to spend time with regularly.

Our current reality is that we live with a constant high level of anxiety. We pretend otherwise. Maybe we don’t even pay attention any more. But every day, every minute we could get sick and there is nothing we can do about it. And while in some ways that has always been true, maybe it also hasn’t been quite so scary.

This stress takes a toll on our lives, our health, our relationships. It eats away at our pretense of normalcy. It causes us to question things we never considered before-like the potential dangers of grocery shopping. It makes us wonder where God is in all of it.

And here is what God is saying to me about it—take care of yourself. Exercise and eat a healthy diet. Cherish your family and friends and tell them you love them. Do things that are meaningful and generous and make the world better. Be reasonable about your choices, savvy, with the right amount of caution. Stop expecting what we have called normal, and build something better.

Understand the toll of this anxiety beyond your control and be kind to yourself and others.   And choose your coping mechanisms with intention.