Business Meetings and Love

January 17, 2018

I HATE business meetings! There; I’ve said it. Especially when I have to leave a nice warm fire, go out in single digit weather, and drive in the dark. I’d much rather stay home, stay warm, and just relax. I could justify leaving home to attend one of the grandkids’ games or concerts, but a meeting? Nope. Nope. Nope.

I forgot to mention...I LOVE these people! Once there, even a business meeting gives me joy. Don’t ask me how that is possible; I don’t know, except for the people who make the cold, dark drive worthwhile. We talked about businessy kinds of stuff, just like anyone would expect at a business meeting. But there was more. Through all the agenda there was a constant attitude of genuine caring for one another, and for the community in which God has placed us. 

And for me, there’s something else. I’m retired. I’m only pulpit supply. I don’t have to show up to anything other than Sunday morning. So for the first time in my life, I am actually volunteering. When I go to the office on Mondays and Wednesdays, help out with a dinner, or attend a meeting, it’s not because it’s a part of my job for which I’m being paid. It is my gift to them, and to the Lord. Jesus taught us that it’s better to give than to receive, and I’ve found that to be true in so many ways. I like to receive gifts and love as much as anyone else, but the real joy is in the giving, especially when there is no possibility of reciprocity. Giving to this church and these people has been fun, particularly so because there’s no requirement to do any of it. When one HAS to do something, it’s a job; when it’s done for the joy of giving, it is a blessing that returns, pressed down, shaken together, and running over.