The last couple months have been a bit of a whirlwind: Raleigh, NC for a non-profit communications conference, coaching at tournaments in Cincinnati and Indianapolis, traveling to St. Louis and Grand Rapids to help set up soccer camps for this summer, and the Basics Conference for pastors at Parkside Church. Whew! One thing I really like about travel and being on the road is you have opportunities to get different perspectives from the familiar. I am often more likely to strike up conversations with others and ask questions. I am exposed to stories, ideas, experiences, and places that spark reflection, creativity, inspiration and hope. I often feel rejuvenated and ready to enter back into day-to-day life with a fresh and new outlook.
I think the biggest takeaway that I had from my latest travels is that God is God. This is an idea I can't unpack in a few sentences but the main idea here is that it's helpful to be clear who God IS and who God IS NOT. I think I often confuse God with things that are spiritual such as reading my bible or worship songs or a beautiful mountain sunrise. These things are great but they aren't God. Or I tend to romanticize about certain places or times in my life as being ideal and treat them as being divine but they aren't God either.
We know that people aren't perfect. That is usually pretty clear. People are messy and have faults. But there are other things we don't so quickly see as being fallible as well. The idea of sports ministry seems so perfect to me. The idea of living out a passion for sports and serving and loving people in the name of Christ is great in theory. But in practice it's very messy and difficult. And it's NOT God. I didn't realize why I've been so disappointed lately until I realized I was treating ministry like God and expecting some idealized version of life just because I am doing ministry. Ministry isn't God. The organization I work for isn't God. The church I attend isn't God. Only God is God and if I am constantly seeking things that seem holy or spiritual or the "right thing," I will miss out on the real thing.
