It's Going to Be Different
I imagine the eyes of Jesus / were
harvest brown,
The light of their gazing / suffused
with the seasons:
The shadow of winter, / the mind of
spring,
The blues of summer, / and amber of
harvest.
A gaze that is perfect sister / to
the kindness that dwells
In his beautiful hands.
The eyes of Jesus gaze on us,
Stirring in the heart’s clay / the
confidence of seasons
That never lose their way to harvest.
―from “The Eyes of Jesus” by John O’Donohue
Clivie
is getting ready to start school at his new co-op preschool next week. We have
been preparing him for this change for a while, and he is excited about
it. He is also a little sad that he will
not be spending as much time with his friends from his current day-care and a
little anxious about meeting the new kids and teachers. “Mama,” he said to me the other day, “it’s
going to be different. . . . And what if I don’t like those kids?”
Our
son is growing and moving into a new developmental phase in his life. And yes, “It’s going to be different. . .
.” The energy of fall is coming on
stronger now, even though many of us are still clinging to the notion that
August is still summer! And Clivie is
still my baby! We all might feel a
little sad and anxious that—no matter what the days ahead bring—“It’s going to
be different.”
The
city of Vallejo is also changing, and as an effective ministry in this time and
place, we must respond to the changing needs in our midst. What does our community need? And how are we prepared and able to meet
those needs? In whatever ways we
respond, there is no question that “it’s going to be different” than what has
gone before.
We
may have to venture out on some different kinds of terrain to get to where we
are called to be. At times, we may
exclaim in wonder at the incredible vistas and the possibilities they evoke in
us. And at other times, our path may be
rocky and steep with no shade or water in sight. In some ways, we may feel like we are still
in bondage in Egypt. We may feel like we
are somewhere unknown, wandering around in the unchartered wilderness. And in other ways, we may feel like we are
catching blessed glimpses of the Promised Land.
But make no mistake, no matter what emerges for us on this transformational
faith journey, we are going to be called into something new. It’s going to be different.
So,
as we enter into fall, I echo the voice of John O’Donohue: may the eyes of Jesus gaze upon us, stirring
in our hearts’ clay the confidence of the seasons that never lose their way to
harvest. . . . Our God is with us no
matter where we find ourselves on the journey.
And I pray that you make room to experience God’s presence, no matter
what kind of different road you find yourself travelling today.
See
you in church,
Christy