No drama, no fire, no crisis. Clearly, this is not a tragedy, but it is an inconvenience.
At this time of year, I tend to preserve the abundance of the harvest. And for many years now, dehydrating foods has been a part of that; herbs, vegetables, fruit, entire meals for camping trips... the hum of the dehydrator is a common sound in my kitchen.
So it was strange to come home and hear... nothing. I remembered turning it on before I had gone out, and yet.... silence. When I investigated, I discovered that the heater was still working - but that heat had no way to circulate.
So, the device was quite hot, the air was not moving, and the food on the trays was half-baked / half-raw. Not the outcome I had intended. (And thus, putting me in the market for a new machine.)
Our lives can be like that dehydrator, though; we plod along until some small thing changes, and suddenly, our motion just ceases. We still have the intention to do what we're meant to be doing, but don't seem to be able to get it done. It may be an external block, or an internal pause, but our own 'fan' just isn't moving.
When we find our ministries stagnating, we can choose to see it as a break (like the dehydrator), or we can see it as a pause. Perhaps the Spirit is giving us the reminder that it's time for a rest, a sabbath of sorts from our efforts. Perhaps Spirit is guiding us into other areas where our efforts can be of more effective use. Maybe Spirit needs for us to refocus our energy with other resources, connecting with people and places in new ways to best share our gifts.
However the Spirit of God is moving in you, I pray that you will continue to recognise the holy movement that is active in your midst, gently fanning your oblation into the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment