A Year in Letters # 2
Thursday, January 13, 2022
Hello All,
That icy wind has been howling outside for the past few nights and we’re seeing the best a Wisconsin winter has to offer, that’s for sure! But It’s snug and warm inside my old farmhouse and I am so very grateful for central heating and warm floors! I’ve been thinking a great deal about that lovely little church in Kentucky, ever since Jeff showed us those pictures on Sunday and told us about their tragic loss. The thought of such a loss just stabs at my heart! I do love that old red building where we come together on Sundays to renew and rejoice!
In the past few weeks, since mid-October really, we’ve been working feverishly to add to the beauty and comfort of our church. But also, and perhaps more importantly, we’ve been striving to subtract from what has built up (to somewhat ridiculous proportions) over the past few years/decades.
Somehow, the church becomes a repository for all the things…” I’m sure the church can use this…” seems to be a common thought. Now, I believe that in almost all cases, this is a genuinely generous and heartfelt sentiment, but it doesn’t turn out to be the best policy, in the end. We tend to keep things “just in case” for way past their sell-by dates! In fact, WAY past. We hang on to things that way in our lives sometimes, as well.
We don’t realize what we can do without until those things are gone, but sometimes, we get to find out! We don’t see the clutter and the items that get pushed back for some project we WILL get to, eventually. We go on with our busy lives, walking around them, stepping over them, cleaning them (that’s the most galling of it!) We actually waste our time cleaning things that are of no earthy purpose to our lives.
In some ways, we do the same with our souls. We spend time polishing up old animosity. We waste precious moments tending, lovingly, to past hurts and jealousy and anger. But what would happen if we woke one morning to find them all gone? What could we accomplish then, if we had that space within ourselves to focus on the good we find and the good we could create?
I know it’s hard to see the good in something like the hardship that the church in Kentucky is going through, but perhaps there is something to be gained. Maybe things like that happen, from time to time, in this mean old world, to renew the parts that have grown old and stagnant. The way a tree sloughs off old branches in a high wind. Do we all stand to gain a lesson from the destruction of a little red church building in Kentucky?
What has happened in that community and in the surrounding nation, as a result of that destruction? People have come forward from all across the country to reach out and help. Even in these crazy times, people are still willing to put out their hand and pull another back to their feet.
Of course, our first thought when we looked at the picture of that beloved little red building, lying in shambles, was to compare it to our own church home. To think of the joy and fellowship and energy we find there each week. Then, to consider it being destroyed, is overwhelming! But, as Jeff read on and talked about how folks are working so hard to clean up, to salvage and save what they can, the light of hope was kindled, once more. Then, we talked about the things WE could do to help.
Cleaning out the corners, relieving ourselves of all the clutter and unneeded (unwanted) things lightens the load. It makes life simpler, clearer and easier. It makes it much easier to see what is important, what truly needs our care. I urge you, this week, to consider what in your own life, needs to be de-cluttered. Can you move out some old baggage, to make room for new hope, new joy, new love? I sincerely hope you can!
Yours In Christ,
Elizabeth Murphy
