Wednesday, May 27, 2020

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the last day of Jesus Christ. -Philippians 1:6

I keep hearing people call Memorial Day the unofficial start of summer. 

I don’t know if that’s true, but with the warm weather this past weekend, there was a certain feeling of “lightness” that people seemed to have.

I saw it in people as they walked their dog, were out for a run, rollerblading, or playing this strange game that a group of teenagers were playing on Friday and Saturday night. One of them would leave their bike in the street, ring someone’s doorbell (no, not ours), and run (rather than ride) away.

Based on the fact that the second night this happened the homeowner came out looking annoyed before walking to the street, picking up the bike, and putting it in his garage…I’m not sure of the sustainability of this game without some major revisions to the rules.  

Anyway, this lightness pointed out to me how not being able to see or gather with the people I care about and the excessive amount of time I’ve spent in front of screens has left me feeling like life is on hold. I’m just waiting around for life to get back to normal.

Paul’s letter to the Philippians is likely written while he was unjustly imprisoned in Rome awaiting a trial where if he’s found guilty, could result in his execution. In the midst of all he’s experiencing, before Paul says anything about his own situation, Paul is encouraging the church at Philippi that when they came to accept the gospel, God began a process of transformation that will continue until God’s goal for each one of those individuals has been completed.

So, this leaves me with two questions…

If God’s “good work in [me] is carrying on” right now, should I feel like my life is on hold?

When I think about the promise God’s transformation that is taking place, is what I envision as “getting back to normal” where I want to go?