Don’t Fear the Swing

As we begin a new church year with the first Sunday of Advent, I find a line in the reading from Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth to be especially encouraging.

“For in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind . . . so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift.”  (Click here for the full passage.)

The beginning of a new year is full of promise and opportunity, and as we begin the year, we hear from Paul that we have been given all that we need to do what God has asked us to do!

From my experience as a pastor, I believe that we are far more likely to miss God’s call on us because of fear than because we don’t know what it is.  What we often talk about is not knowing and not being clear about what God is calling us to do.  But what keeps us from it is fear.  Fear that we’ll have to give up something we like, fear that we’ll look foolish, that we’ll fail, that others won’t understand . . .

God rarely gives us a calling with all the plans and details for the next 10 years.  Rather, He places a need before us and asks us to step up to the plate.  Most often, fail to swing out of fear.

God has given us the tools we need to do the work He lays before us.  We need not fear.  Failure is not necessarily failure if we remember that God’s purpose is that we be restored to Him, not that we look good, make lots of money, or have others ooh and ahh at us.

Get to the plate.  Take the swing.  Do not fear missing the ball.  You’ll learn even from the swing and God will be pleased.  Fear staying in the dugout where we will certainly not become the people God intends for us to be.

This church year, resolve to take the swing!

In Christ,

Fr. Eric Turner

This column first appeared in the December 3, 2017 issue of St. John’s eNews.  Click here for the complete issue.

If you are reading this at another time, you may click here for the current issue of the eNews.