I’ve been doing lots of planning this week. There are plenty
of new projects on the horizon: philosophy of religion discussion group, an on-campus
Christian club, an open mic event, the Multi-Faith Centre festival in February,
and a short talk at the CRC young adult retreat later this month. It’s all
interesting and exciting stuff to plan for.
Since I began my “working” life as a maintenance landscaper
I’ve come to realize that projects take
time. As a chaplain at KPU I find myself frustrated every now and then that
I have to spend so much time emailing, planning, and thinking through the little
details that go into events or meetings. And I remember a similar frustration
when I was landscaping: it takes that
long to mow that lawn?
But, I have now
come at least to the realization (though not to the consistent experience) that
it’s OK that things take time. Putting together a little ad for my philosophy
of religion discussion group takes some effort. What text should I put on the
poster? What images would be good? While impatience thinks this should take no
more than 10 minutes, both reality and a persevering spirit offer a different
approach. Take half an hour. Take a hour,
if you need to.
It’s important and helpful to take the time needed to do
good quality work. And the scriptures never tell us to “do as much as you can
in as little time as possible”. Instead, “whatever you do, do all to the glory
of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). And so in trust and with some frustration I’m
allowing for the time to prepare and plan for good things, good projects. While
I might wish to be deeply engaged in the lives of Kwantlen students at every
minute of my time here, a patient heart allows for God to work through
carefully mown lawns and thoughtfully designed posters.
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