Role and Soul

I spent two days and nights this week at the first of five retreats that will take place over the course of twelve months. These retreats are a time away to reflect and discern. My hope is that these times of reflection and discernment will help deepen my spirit in order to serve more joyfully and fully. Every once in a while I may share some of my reflections that come through the course of this journey as I do today.

On Tuesday morning we were asked to reflect on keeping “role” and “soul” connected. This was part of my written reflection:

“My role is to point myself and others to the One (God) who is the Source, who is Love. In a sense, in my role as pastor/proclaimer, I have to gather in attention onto me but it is not to stay on me. As a guide, I say, ‘look, see, worship, adore.’ Sometimes, I can get in the way. It is tempting to gather the attention and allow it to rest on me, to receive the kudos and keep them for myself. When that happens the relationship is aborted; I am not serving as a midwife to invite birth into a living relationship between the other and the Source. In this I need to guard my spirit from hungering for and desiring praise.  I need to take time sit with the Source--open my ears, my eyes, my heart to hear the music in the silence and then allow the beat/rhythm/melody of the music to infuse my spirit.”