Today as I sit
in my house in Portland, sipping coffee, and listening to the sweet sound of
rain fall on the ground outside, I am thrust into waves of peace. I am
reflecting on a month of learning, laughter, increased friendship, sorrow, and
deep joy. The past three weeks I got to spend listening to amazing classmates
(who I now consider friends) discuss and grow in what it means to be the
church. I again learned that there is no perfect church, mostly because there
is no perfect person. And in my most vulnerable moments, I have to remind
myself that the church is people. Beautiful, broken, alive, and challenging
people.
We read the Gospel and understand maybe a tenth of
what Jesus was trying to teach and model to us. Reading through Mark 10 and 11
a few minutes ago, I am in awe of how little I seek the Kingdom of God and
instead seek the opinion of the world. How often do I stop and listen? How
little do I remind myself that joy is a gift and a choice? How terrible am I at
thinking of myself as a little child, hopeful that God redeems and saves? How
often do I care more for my possessions than I do for my present relationship
with God?
All of these questions I examined this past term
and found that there is no greater answer than the person of Christ. And for
me, that begins by being thankful and being disciplined enough to listen
wholeheartedly to God. So today, I don’t have any huge theological answers to
how the church should function better, serve God more, or be wholly united. But
I am able to live into the posture of being thankful. Thankful for a class who
tested me, encouraged me, and put up with me. Thankful for a Creator who is
infinitely more able and loving than I.
Thankful.
Katherine
