Barring emergencies, this will be a short week, which means that I'm spending this morning trying to cram as much organization and production in as possible. Folk who wander into my office will probably observe that organization isn't my strong suit, since my desk is littered with boxes, hymnals, USB cables, stoles, a gob of papers, and the detritus of the processes of homiletics and ordering churches.
And, to a degree, it's true: I'm disorganized. But mostly, I have a tendency to leave projects open. I have enough self-awareness to realize that I'm more comfortable with questions than answers; with projects open to change than with finalized products. So when I write a sermon, and even when I post it online, I leave open all the texts with which I've been working. I leave room for edition.
That does not, unfortunately, make me really good at meeting deadlines. I'm rather a fan of an observation made by the late Douglas Adams: "I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
But I am aware that in leaving projects and ideas open to change, I am in good company: our Creator is still working on us. I thank God for that, because I'd hate to think that I'm a finished product right now. There's a lot of me that's sub-par. I am thankful (and not just because it's Thanksgiving week) that the One who breathed life into me is still inspiring me today. I am thankful that Christ doesn't expect perfection out of me, but that the Spirit will work through me in spite of, and probably because of all my own brokenness. For today, as I'm facing a two- or maybe three-day work week, that is good news.
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