An Employment Issue

One of the biggest sources of comedy at camp were the group of counselors I liked to call the young guns - the kids who were as green as the grass at the beginning of the season who swore they had enough experience to run camp.  Though they barely knew how to get to camp without the help of two parents, eight phone calls, and 84 emails or facebook messages (because let’s be real, writing an electronic letter is sooo old school), they inevitably would make priceless comments that highlighted an eager willingness and a blind naivete before the campers arrived.  Days later their grand visions of running an entire age group were challenged by just trying to get 10 kids dressed for breakfast. Let me highlight, this is not an easy task by any stretch of the imagination!  

Lately, life feels like a conglomerate of moving puzzle pieces. “If you could move this one to the right and this one to the left, and if you could have done it yesterday it would have been helpful,” I annotated to God the way I think things ought to be.

Now, if God is as sassy as I can be I imagine His response would be: “Yes, and if you’d let me be God and you be you, we’d be better off as well.” Noted, the sass factor of God has not been documented in (any?) theological textbooks to my knowledge so this is written only under the authority that I am a Confirmed Christian who at times drips with New York sarcasm and sass and who appreciates that God speaks my language in order that I can understand my own ridiculousness at times.

They say it takes 10,000 hours to master something. When we’ve gotten to the level of mastery or even significant success in some areas of our lives it’s easy to start thinking I should have mastery over all areas of my life. The fact is, though, the Christian life, the Christian vocation, is fraught with mystery and wonder. And no matter how much we have “mastered” being a Christian there is still so much to learn, as we are an infinite distance from Perfect Love Himself.

God gently reminded me that I was acting like a young gun this week. It was an employment issue. I wanted to be God instead of trusting Him. His words from Job echoed:  

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
    Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
    Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
    or who laid its cornerstone,
when the morning stars sang together,
    and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)

To reverse the employment issue, I had to recognize and live the wisdom
Father Cavanaugh gave Rudy: “There is a God and I’m not Him.” Let us trust and return with all of our heart. Let us live with the confidence that His benefits plan trumps any other and His life insurance plan is filled with good things – “a future and a hope” (Jer. 29:11).

Verso l’alto,

KGRC

Now I’ll be bold

As well as strong

And use my head alongside my heart

So tame my flesh

And fix my eyes

A tethered mind freed from the lies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGKfrgqWcv0

Here I go again

I often stop to wonder how this comes to be

Such a glorious love, such a beautiful mystery

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcolY_8gFfE

Take this cup away from me and find another one

Or give me strength to follow you and say your will be done

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pEiFy5jAwI

*I love finding new artists: PJ Anderson and Connor Flanagan is where it’s at, kids! They know what’s up J