In life we find many things that are real or imagined barriers to moving forward, doing what we want to do, completing goals we have set for ourselves.  In her Transition Notes Cynthia mentions the temporary barrier that St. Stephen’s is experiencing, the dramatic fencing in of our property, which creates an illusion of being fenced out of the property—but if you look, there are ways in and, if you look, there are signs pointing the way.

Sometimes in life in general, we experience a barrier and immediately feel discouraged.  If we are already feeling a little down or having a difficult time with something else, we often tend to let the new barrier stand in our way without taking the time and energy to look for a way in/through/around it.  Our Stewardship Committee focused on the theme of “gratitude for gifts God has given us” this past quarter through their Asset/Gifts mapping workshop.  One of the gifts God has given ALL of us is imagination.  The many solutions to problems, ways around barriers, discovery of new things before yet unknown, have come through human beings exercising imagination.  Think of people like Galileo, Einstein, Marie and Louis Pasteur, Bill and Melinda Gates.   If they had not used the gifts of their imagination, we would not be able to cure people of diseases, invent machines that help us better living conditions, communicate quickly in times of emergency.

During the time of transition and interim, it is important to approach barriers with imagination and hope.  Our God has led humanity out of danger and bondage over and over again in the course of human history.  The barriers we face sometimes seem large to us in the immediacy of the moment but, in the larger scheme of things, are miniscule compared to what other people in the world are facing.  We often think in terms of not having enough to do all the things we want to do—people, time, money—in our church life.  But in truth, we have much in abundance compared to many of our brothers and sisters around the world.  May God grant us the grace of our imaginations to walk around/through and climb over barriers in able to do the work of God on this corner of Woodruff and High and across the widespread campus on which we live.