So I am wondering today about how you handle distraction and frustration?
I have been in that place today. . . Distracted. Frustrated. Unable to complete the necessary tasks of my morning as quickly as I would like. This feels discouraging. My mind is in a multiple places; it is processing multiple issues simultaneously. For me when that happens my productivity suffers. I still accomplish tasks, but instead of checking them off quickly as I hope, my pacing slows significantly in these moments. I find myself plodding along, slogging through the day unable to press forward. As this happens, thoughts begin to creep into my mind that I do not appreciate They take root and remind me that I am not good enough. I am not committed enough. I lack the skills to adapt. I will fail at this (whatever ‘this’ is). It is a message that I am sure you have heard in your own head at times. But then something happened today that changed all of that.
I went for a run. . .
No, the act of running did not help me directly in my time of distraction and frustration. Instead, as I walked up Plains Church Road I stopped and checked the mail. Inside our mailbox was a large white envelope from The International Children’s Network. It was addressed to Derek and Jennifer Marotta AND the Plains Presbyterian Church. . . “Strange” I said to no one in particular. Ordinarily when we receive letters from our sponsored children the letter is just addressed to Derek and Jennifer Marotta—NOT Plains Presbyterian Church. This was different. . . .As I looked over the remainder of the mail, I noticed how “thick” this package from ICN was. . . My curiosity was peaked!
Ordinarily Jennifer opens the mail during lunch, but I couldn’t wait for her to come home. I popped the seal on the white envelope and looked inside. There were lots and lots of letters in my hands. Each letter was accompanied by a picture that was just barely visible around the folded-letters. I poured them into my hand and looked at the first one it read:
"Dear Plains Presbyterian Church"
Interesting. . . . I looked at the second one. . . “Dear Plains Presbyterian Church.” I wondered, what is this? What am I looking at?
Over and over again I saw that each letter was written to the church family. At this point, as you can imagine, my joy was both palpable and uncontrollable. My distraction and frustration at the day’s events, and my lack of productivity, was gone. I looked at the first picture that I could find from the group. It was a young Nepali girl holding packages of rice and noodles with a big smile on her face. "Oh my Lord! These are their Christmas gifts.” I bellowed with my jaw hanging open in the living room. A tear came to my eye. . . Children who I met, children whom we love, children who we played with in Ilam as a church, children whose pictures fill my laptop, they are offering us their own Christmas blessing and a word of thanks!
Maybe when we feel ourselves frustrated or distracted, maybe when we feel that we are falling short of a goal that we have set, maybe God is getting ready to do something in you that will help bring you joy back to the surface? I wonder how you would respond to that event, that moment, that instance?
Blessings
Rev. Derek
PS—The letters will be posted on the bulletin board in the church this weekend. I encourage you to come, when you feel it is safe, and read them.
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