Leaning Tower of Watertown

Leaning but not Down

I came across this while driving around Watertown. It made me laugh.  A lot of people I know wish things weren’t changing as fast as they are. They feel pretty bruised by the economy, the pace of life, ecological threats, and just the challenge of figuring out how to communicate with people (email? twitter? facebook? show up at their doorstep? message training a blimp above the city?). Their souls are yelling “Stop!”  But the world keeps comin’ at ’em.

Humans are famously resistant to change, and yet it is on the road and in the marketplace where we encounter so many things and people that bless us. When I look back over my life so far, I can say that it was in the places where I felt like a fish out of water that I grew the most as a person.

This stop sign reminds me of a lot of conversations I’ve had with fellow clergy-people in recent years. How do we find the “bounce” we need to make room for the Spirit to work in a time of such breathtaking change and challenge? How and when should we be “Stop” signs and who and when should we be “Come on in” signs?

Will Willimon writes about all this beautifully this week here. He doesn’t have any answers either, but he reminds me that faithfulness means putting the backpack on, even when I’d rather lie on the couch. I’ll keep visiting this Stop sign in the weeks ahead: an accidental shrine suitable for meditation.