Inspiration and passion are tricky things. We need them to create, to write, to have meaningful interactions with our family, our friends and our world. Inspiration and passion are key ingredients to making us feel alive. We are excited by new possibilities and questions and there is much value in wrestling and seeking, enduring and persevering regardless of the end product.
Lisa Cole Smith
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I believe in process. I believe in the journey and in continual, life-long learning and growth. I find the question often to be more exciting than the results and the process often to be more fun. The process is where the learning and discovery happens. The trial and error tests my skills and knowledge and forces me to confront my weaknesses. It builds discipline and character. It is this passion through process that fuels the creative mind and leads to new discoveries.
I find myself this Lenten season, however, remembering that it is indeed possible to drown in that process when I fail to stop and celebrate what has been accomplished or learned or developed.
In church we try to help people develop spiritually, to connect with one another, with God and their own gifts, but all of that has to center around knowing and worshipping God. I don’t think those are such easy things, especially when it comes to the events surrounding the major church holidays. For so many of us really grasping and being in the incarnation at Christmas and the crucifixion and resurrection at Easter are difficult tasks. We are asked to celebrate at these times and to remember and rediscover joy, gratitude and awe in the salvific acts of Christ, yet they are slippery in our minds. Certainly time to really mark these moments does not easily to fit into our schedules.
I’m wondering about this recently. About what celebration and marking moments is really about both in my life and in the life of the church. As we get older birthdays and anniversaries, New Year’s celebrations, etc. become less momentous. When we were kids these things seemed to happen not often enough and were special times where the day was different. Routines were suspended, different clothes were worn and treats like cake and ice cream were wheeled out for our indulgence along with presents and streamers and balloons for our other senses.
As an adult some of the excitement fades because time feels as if it is moving faster. Plus, we have more control over our schedules and eating habits. We can buy ourselves a cupcake at the grocery store just because we feel like it and buy ourselves little presents all the time. Perhaps we spend time with friends often and so buying balloons and streamers seems unnecessary or a little overboard in our practical grown up minds.
But I wonder what happens to our sense of … wonder in all of this. I wonder what happens to our sense of awe, if somehow by letting go of these celebratory rituals we forget a little bit about what it means to be alive.
Process, growth and curiosity may indeed be fuel for passion, but I find myself remembering that fuel is not an unlimited supply. When we are constantly driven forward by the next possibility without returning to the source for proper refueling we burn out. I forget that in moments of celebration a different kind of satisfaction occurs. It is only possible to really absorb and receive the impact of what has been accomplished when we stop and soak it in.
It is the same thing with our faith — the rhythm of Sabbath but also of the Church calendar. Not only are these seasons a way of remembering all of the events of Christ’s life and work, but they teach us to mark moments of time, to create a rhythm of remembrance and celebration. These observances remind us of what God has done in our world and in our lives. In the midst of business, disappointments and day to day navigation we are reminded to step back and observe God’s goodness and mercy. We can take time to bask in his love. We can worship and feel genuine thankfulness for our God. We can celebrate what Jesus accomplished on our behalf.
There is a different kind of passion that comes from this marking of moments and deep appreciation that is necessary both for faith and for faithful living. This Lent has taught me that inspiration and passion flow most evenly from a steady stream of punctuated moments. Moments punctuated by prayer, rest, celebration, mourning, laughter and abiding — with friends, with myself and with my Creator.
Lisa Cole Smith ([email protected]) is pastor of Convergence: A Creative Community of Faith, in Alexandria, Va.