Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Matthew 17:4

"Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, 'Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.'"

First of all - can you believe I'm posting before midnight, even midnight my time?

I think I've talked about this verse in the story most often - Coming Down the Mountain talks and the like for the Teen ACTS Retreat in particular. How Peter wanted to stay on the mountain, stay there and be happy and blissful and beloved and a good servant of God. Except that - of course, he wouldn't really be a good servant of God. God doesn't need houses on Mount Tabor. He needed a Bishop of Rome, an apostle and an evangelizer. He needed a martyr.

The message from the Little Black Book today is how we should think about if we can express Peter's sentiment - is it "good for us to be here" in wherever we are in our lives right now? It's not a bad question, but I can't help thinking - if the answer is yes, are we still ready to move on? To change drastically? Are we able to carry this lesson on to the next thing?

Perhaps my life has been changing, changing, changing all the time so I feel this way, but perhaps the most important part of following God's path for my life seems to be the willingness to go somewhere new or do something unexpected - rather than planting my roots and enjoying the mountaintop's glory or even taking up a steady position in the faith community. I have to move and change. After all, school (at least mine) was obsessed with its own rhetoric on how everything is always changing - and that only becomes moreso when college and grad school come into things. You need to be willing to keep moving when the Spirit calls.

But I think I can get complacent - when I'm doing some good work, to think that all I have to do is keep that going. When I must constantly seek what God has called me to do and be, when I must constantly seek new ways to know and follow Him. I have to stay on my toes and keep searching. I've never reached the point where I can stop, build a little house, and just stare at Moses, Elijah and the Son of Man in His glory. Not yet. Not in this life.

I suppose I'm showing my Martha tendencies, St. Martha is my confirmation saint and everyone always told me that it's Mary in that story that we're supposed to follow. But I've always disagreed. We're supposed to balance the two, do both. We're supposed to be willing to sit and abide with God but also to get up and do His work. That's why I chose the name. We're supposed to want to build the house but only spend the time that Jesus dictates for us up on the mountain. We're supposed to be willing to come down and do our work afterward.

We're supposed to be willing to move on from what is comfortable and even from what is wondrous. We're supposed to be always looking for other and more ways to be close to God.

Dear Lord, may I never stop seeking You in all the ways You call me to look for You. Please help me to follow Your ways and never grow too weary to follow You to new shores and along new paths. Help me to remember the precious revelations You have made to me and always be willing to work to bring Your Kingdom in thanksgiving for all You have done for me.