Jim Pace

Reflecting on the reflecting…

October 21, 2011 | 1 Comment

Whew…  As they say where I grew up, it has been a bit of a while.  

They would be right.  My last posts were in the buildup to my sabbatical in May.  It does beg the question, how has the cyber-world managed without having me dropping quality content a couple of times a week?  🙂  

I’m back.  And I have been reflecting on my reflecting.

Last February marked the start of my 15th year with [nlcf].  Last April I turned 40.  Last August, Emma, our youngest started at Blacksburg Middle School and our oldest, Noah, started High School.   In September I developed my first knee issue.

Many things that remind me that I am getting older.  Don’t get me wrong, overall I like getting older.  I like the wisdom that God is giving me as I walk through life.  I love the experiences that I am acquiring, love seeing our kids get older and take on new challenges, inlcuding the always overlooked middle child, Seth (I should know, I was a middle too). If I have to grow older, God has given me the greatest woman that I could ever hope for to grow old with.  

But, it begs the question, if 15 years, likely 1/3 of my work life is already in the books, is there anything that God would like to say that I haven’t been willing to hear, able to hear, ready to hear?  In Romans, Paul was led by God to write a very simple statement that is quite a bit more complex to live out than it seems.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is — his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Rom 12.2

Seems fairly straightforward, no?  But that was just my question to God.  Am I being more conformed to the pattern of this world, or more conformed to the pattern of the kingdom of God?  It would seem the difference would be obvious, but it isn’t, at least not to me.

• Has my effort to build God’s kingdom actually been about building mine?
• Has my focus on what God is calling me to do actually become a way to tune him out?
• Has the fact that for the past 15 years my walk with God and my job have been so intertwined made it so that my relationship with God is less about God and more about my job?
• And if I don’t have this to do full time, what will it be like for me at home?  Will the kids want me there, Tracy?

I really wasn’t sure about any of these things.  But I knew God was walking me into a time where he could bring much or all of that into clarity.  Sometimes its great to get answers, and other times, the scariest thing God could do is give us a strait-forward answer to our question.  

Over the next few weeks I’ll share some of the thoughts I came across.  I don’t claim that they will all help anyone else.  My hope is that they will, but the main purpose of this is to reflect on my reflection.

Peace, Jim

Categories: General, life