What’s Important …

I look at my “organizing diary” and it has all the appointments, little comments, assignments, meeting dates, etc – all the so-called important stuff. Without it I’ll be in a “not-so-beautiful mess”. I depend on it a lot because I need the memory cells in my head working for other matters. I’ve learnt to use it and yet not be bound by it. And more importantly, not seeing the “full schedule” as a sign of some pseudo-achievement or self-importance. Actually. that might be a sign for the need for PAUSE and Sabbath! 🙂

I received a surprise letter a couple of days ago with a Calvin and Hobbes cartoon as a bonus. It was sparked by tonights 5th Anniversary celebration for Bangsar Lutheran Church. It’s nice to get emails, but somehow the good old fashion opening an envelope, unfolding the letter, holding it in your hand and slowly reading it (sometimes again) REALLY is special … the words in this letter encouraged me deeply and moved me at the core … I’m aware and often too aware of where I’ve failed, or made mistakes, or missed it … that can turn into paralysing self-criticism if I’m not careful. We’re not too good with affirmation here in Malaysia. So, to get a letter of affirmation that in God’s grace there are and were areas where there’s genuine fruit out of our feeble labours – is so precious. I truly appreciate this person who actually took the trouble to send me this “treasure” – it’s keeps me to what’s the REALLY important stuff that I’m doing.

I’m almost finishing my meditative-reflective guide for the week – this little red book Reclaiming God’s Original Intent for the Church. It’s not dense theological treatise, but it’s has been a good window into what’s important that’s often lost in the midst of our busyness and business-like atmosphere in life and work (yes – even in a church setting) There are many areas I can give thanks to God for steering us away from, and even clearing the way for less travelled but needed paths. There are still stuff in need of change and adjustment and as always reminders … we are often so forgetful.

The second photo is a sneak look at the Mustard Seed periodic newsletter of the church. This anniversary edition is full of honesty, humor, homeliness, and I guess … a sense of our desire to keep what’s important IMPORTANT … and through it all honor our Lord in this time and age where we are located geographically or even using the “situated” metaphor in our life journey. What’s lovely about every edition of the Mustard Seed for me is how it weaves our individual stories together … and prayerfully as we keep on doing this, we’ll get a greater sense of how all this is part of God’s ongoing story with humanity.

I recall hearing the phrase “The tyranny of the Urgent” where we’re often imprisoned or distracted by so called what’s urgent and miss the important stuff. In Christ, by the Spirit, in true alignment with the Father – we are freed from being bound by the urgent (of course there are urgent matters that are also important) and guided into what’s TRULY important (which often don’t seem urgent at first glance) – in the long run!