Renewing the Spirit

School starts tomorrow for Bourbon County and next week for Paris students. Scott County is already in week 2 of their school year. Saint Mary’s and many Lexington schools started back today. When I was growing up we never went back to school until after Labor Day, but anymore it seems there’s barely any summer at all before schools are back in session. I’ve seen first day photos posted on Facebook and marvel at how much our children have grown…or stare in disbelief that someone is old enough to go to school!

Gone are the days of sleeping in, lazing by the pool, camping trips, vacations to the beach or lake and endless hours spent riding bikes and playing outside until the evenings turn cool. Maybe for today’s youth I should be saying ‘gone are the days of spending endless hours playing video games and trolling social media and whatever else kids do today.’

The world is changing. It always has. It always will. We change. We age; our children grow up, start school, graduate, build lives. That is just part of life.

At our initial Renewal Team meeting someone sitting next to me made the comment that if we’re not changing, then we’re not growing. Change is inevitable. Growth is not, not growth in the sense of learning and transforming ourselves as a result of what we learn. If we are nurturing our relationships with God in such a way that we are continually seeking ways to become closer to the Divine, seeking ways to hear God’s call upon our lives, taking all our cares to God in prayer, then we must be growing spiritually and if we are growing spiritually, then we must be transforming…changing.

Renewal is sometimes looked at as CHANGE, which can be frightening, but it doesn’t have to be. I look at renewal a little like Spring cleaning. Sometimes going through our stuff brings great joy to our hearts, sharing memories with others who maybe weren’t here to experience something for the first time. De-cluttering can freshen our perspective on our space. Spiffing things up, putting a shine on something we’re extremely proud of can bring us good feelings too. Revisiting our traditions and sharing the great meaning they’ve given us can not only educate those who don’t know or understand them, but can also help them find meaning in them as well.

Renewal does not mean we will be changing everything about how we do ‘church.’ It just means we want to make sure we are excited about what we do and why we do it. Maybe we might look at things to make sure we’re doing things in the most effective ways. What good will it do to have a message of hope and healing for a hurting world if no one can hear it or if no one can hear us because the rest of the world speaks louder?

Renewal brings us moments where our hearts feel so full it’s like we’re discovering God’s amazing acts in the world for the first time…again.

Blessings,
Tracy