Holy Discontent

 

        I am 18 years old, just graduated high school and I am in my hometown of Big Spring, Texas or as many locals affectionately and bitterly call it “the whirlpool.” Why you ask? Because no matter how far you get it sucks you back in. That desperate feeling that young people often feel in small towns is very real. It seems like you will never break out into the big world and when you do it’s only a matter of time before you get sucked back in. In example of this, I had a college friend that made it all the way to New York, NY and after a few years of working and striving settled back home. You can only really understand the feeling if you have had it. During this summer I had a serious decision to make. I could launch my adulthood and move to a college town somewhere(anywhere) and take the risk of being sucked back home with less options than I started with or cope with the feelings and get two years of free college. In retrospect, such an easy decision I mean two years of paid college. But my brain had a difficult time making the wise decision. But I did. I stayed in the status quo, stayed home and rode it out. During that time I had experiences that have formed me and propelled me into being the person I am today. Life did not stop because I stayed in my hometown while my friends were leaving. I made new friends and began my college experience at Howard College and it was rewarding in ways that I never would have guessed. Two years I spent in transition, but this would not be the last time I spent life in transition, not even close.

Holy Discontent is the spiritual feeling given to you when the status quo is no longer tenable. In other words the feeling you get when it is time to grow or go. What I mean by that, is your situation is not serving God’s plan or you are not currently not adequately serving God’s plan. So its time to change situations or it’s time to change yourself, or more accurately it is time to grow. For those of us that have lived a slightly more nomadic life style, it can begin to feel like the signal to leave yet again even though the feeling is not exclusive to leaving or moving. For those of us who have lived in a similar situation it can feel like simply another time to batten down the hatches and defend our specific way of life and with all luck the storm passes and we come out the other side untouched and unchanged. Neither of these are very good options for dealing with Holy Discontent.

Allow me to proffer a different suggestion, one that I would give myself to my younger self if that were possible and this one comes from Mr. Bil here at the church. “You cannot step in the same river twice.” The status quo is an illusion because change is constant and does not stop simply because we will it to do so. Life is constantly moving, changing, and evolving. If we do not move with it, then we miss it. I am not sure how my younger self would take the advice, but I hope he would enjoy the moment and seize the moment. Not one or the other. I believe there is not a “time” whenever our church was better or worse. Those are simply memories of times past. Our church is who we are now. Because of what came before, but we are currently who we are, also regardless of who we were before. We are at a grow and go stage in our church. It is time to grow our congregation spiritually and go into our community. Let us listen to the words of our Lord Jesus, “4 While it’s daytime, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work.” John 9:4 CEB Some translations say while there is still light. Discontent is such a great opportunity for growth and change and Holy Discontent is even more so. But growing and going mean letting go of whatever status quo we were comfortable with. So that’s my challenge for the kids, parents, and mentors of our church, let’s grow and go folks.