Connecting the Dots on the Roundabout Way.
/(Thanks to Jackie Freitas for bringing up this scripture in our Thursday evening Council Meeting)
“God did not lead the Israelite people along the main road that runs through Philistine territory, even though that was the shortest route to the Promised Land… Instead God led them on a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea.” -Exodus 13: 17-18
My Son is really good at doing mazes and puzzles. One of his favorites is “connect the dots.” These are not the “connect a few dots” pictures of late toddlerhood. The dot pictures he tackles now have 100’s of dots. He starts with the first dot and then moves to the next. He doesn’t know what the picture is going to be until 100 or so connected dots later a pattern starts to emerge. He has to make himself slow down, cultivate curiosity, and make good choices- while still moving to the next dot so he can ultimately see what is emerging and color the picture.
We are now working one of these complex “connect the dots” puzzles as Beloved Community. We are called to look at how we have connected the dots in the past and see what patterns have emerged. We are called to discern intentionally about which dot we might want to move to next with our energy, resources, and God’s call to serve. We are asking important questions as we look at our best choices. Where are the patterns? What do we need to bring with us? What is our Core? Are we rushing because we don’t like the ambiguous feeling of not knowing? Are we moving quickly enough or are we resisting or getting stuck? What do we need to jettison and leave behind? Which dot are we called to move to next?
Sr. Margaret Silf writes that it is our “fully divine and fully human heart’s desire is for a true picture to emerge.” We want to connect the dots in our lives so we can leave “a God-filled footprint of our authentic selves that has made a difference in our families and communities.” I believe this is also our heart’s desire at UCH. We are called to pay attention to the “true picture” that is emerging and being invited into deeper awareness that no matter where we find ourselves on the “roundabout way” in our sometimes desolate, but beautiful, dot strewn wilderness journey, that our Still-Speaking God is with us- and will never leave us alone.
I look forward to seeking and traveling with you as our journey continues. May our true and most authentic picture emerge- one breath, one step, and one dot at a time. –Rev. Jeanne
