Living

Building One Another - Vol. 11, No. 27
Dear Friend, Some years ago Bob Oerter, then pastor of the First Presbyterian Church of Boulder, Colorado, led a retreat in which I heard him say, “Learn to live with the load of the unfinished!” That phrase has stuck with me ever sense. His point was no matter how much you and I do there is always more to be done. The society we live in has become ever more manic, ever more driven with a sense that we have to, “get all of this stuff done.” Bob’s point was not to get all the stuff done but to learn to live with reality of the unfinished and to deliberately take time to be with our Lord and with those we love. Life isn’t about finishing the do list. It is about getting on with our relationships. Jesus certainly lived a rather busy life. At one point Mark describes what was going on around Jesus this way, “For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.” Mark 6:31a* Clearly Jesus knew what the load of the unfinished felt like. In the very midst of this crazy time with no time even to eat, Jesus said, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” Mark 6:31a May you learn to live with the load of the unfinished in your life this Advent season and take the time to center yourself on the Lord who loves you and the people God gives you!
With joy- E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2012 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV
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