I’m not naïve enough to think there is a great swarm of
readers wondering, where has JP been? But, upon reading this, you may be saying
to yourself, “Wow, it has been a long
time JP!”
The explanation, in short: Life has been moving fast.
Last week during High School Mission Week, I rode a
thrilling amusement park ride at Mission Beach.
I rode it ten times. Due to some
early day rain, the lines were minimal and allowed for our group to experience
thrills, one after another. The Beach
Blaster became addictive to a whole handful of us. Like a 100 foot-pendulum, it swung us back
and forth. Adding centripetal force, it
spun us around. Both happening at once,
the ride had its way with us. By the
tenth time, my 36-year-old stomach had had enough.
While on the ride, life happened in flashes. We’d wave at friends as we whizzed by. Perhaps we should have stopped to recount the
horror and the thrill. But the
opportunity to ride again, and immediately, pushed us back into line and onto
the Beach Blaster.
So it is in seasons of our lives. As parents, we routinely face the decision
to grab a camera to capture a moment, or to simply experience the fullness of
the moment unfiltered. Bloggers, at
times, are faced with a decision to narrate a recent event, or to dive in and
experience another one. Healthy social
media users ask the hard questions, including, “Am I experiencing the fullness
of life in the same way I am portraying it online?” Seasons of simply living are helpful for
perspective and grounding.
In this past season of youth ministry, I’ve needed to just
be. Not experience, write about,
photograph and pine about. Just be.
I may reach back a month to tell you about the stolen shoes
that reappeared on my doorstep or detail the lunacy of staying up all night, at
my age, with teens. I may let you in on
our secret ice blocking spot. I’d love
to share about a student, once bottled up by rejection and pain, now blossoming
in an environment of safety and affirmation.
I might even let you know about the award I recently won. These are the things you’ve missed.
But they are ones that I’ve fully experienced, like each
whipping turn of the Beach Blaster.
No comments:
Post a Comment