Walking in Old Shoes

I spent time last week in places where I once lived and served the Church. It was both 7 th grade awkward and new puppy fun. How grateful I was to be welcomed back, yet the realization that we all have evolved was painfully evident. Is it too much to expect that one can go back to where we once belonged and find a place again?

I spent time last week walking parts of the Gettysburg battlefield. This path was one I ran for years with my dog, Samson, while I was a student at the seminary. As I walked this week, I was very aware of my evolution. First, I am no longer a runner. My body is worn from the miles of my youth. Second, the places of ministry I have served since graduating from the seminary have all informed who I am. And third, as I walked the battlefield I thought of the 51,000 soldiers who died during this battle. I walked where tens of thousands lost their lives.

And so too do we, in a way, lose our lives as we journey. My faith tradition teaches that we are a new creation in Christ. Whether or not you ascribe to this belief, as we grow and evolve, we must surrender old ways of being and believing to grow and thrive. We die to our old selves to rise to our new selves, created for the good of the world. This process is full of the fear of letting go of that which we are comfortable with and embracing the newness of the not yet. It requires trust and hope.

May the trust and hope sustain you and you continue your evolution of becoming!