We still have a long way to go. And that’s a good thing.

We beg you, brothers and sisters, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as though from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord is already here.

– 2 Thessalonians 2:1b-2 (NRSV)

One of the things that I appreciate about this text from Thessalonians is the reminder that we still have a long way to go. One of the things that has happened in American popular culture is that we have become so focused on the next tweet, the next post, the next news cycle, that we have absolutely no thought of the long game. We have allowed ourselves to move into constant sprint mode. This way of being in the world is wearing us out. It is killing us as a society, and as individuals.

God of endurance and perseverance,

Thank you for the reminder that we still have a long way to go. We are called to run a marathon, not a sprint. We are called to keep up with you over our entire lives. We are called to be with you no matter what is coming down the pike.

Forgive us for those times we allow ourselves to be distracted. Forgive us for those times we fail to stop and rest. Forgive us for those times we try and act as if everything is up to us.

Sometimes I feel as if I am totally responsible for everything my world. The truth of the matter is that I am not. You are. You are God. I am not. I am called to follow you. I am called to turn my life over to you no matter what is going on and no matter how long it seems to be taking. 

When my attention starts to fade, when my focus turns inward instead of being entirely devoted to you, please call me back. Please call me back to following you at all times in all ways. Help me to love you and serve you, this day, and throughout my entire week. 

Amen.

(This reflection from my prayer journal was inspired by Vince Amlin’s UCC Still Speaking Devotional from January 10, 2020.)