ennui
This year I planted corn in my garden, a tiny apartment garden, about one foot in depth, up against a fence. This was decorative in purpose. I knew that corn can’t have full and fruitful ears by being lone soldiers up against a wall. But they have been the beautiful, tall, waving sentry that I anticipated. In fact, they exceeded expectations, reaching a height of roughly twelve feet and doing their utmost to pollinate in spite of their circumstances. However, try as they did, the physics remained true. The “ears” that took shape were pretty, but empty. They simply could not bear ears of corn.
As I look around and listen, talk with and reflect on what I hear in this season, that row of corn seems almost prophetic. Helping a missions agency trying to build their board gave me an example of this. Mature people that they turned to had various responses:
“I’m too busy,” being the most natural, because the 20% who tend to do 80% of the work really are already too busy, even though they seem the most qualified.
“I’m not qualified,” or “That doesn’t use my skill set.” were the next most frequent responses. People genuinely felt restricted by what they had experience in and were not comfortable with the learning curve in spite of readily available teaching material.
“It’s not the right season for me,” was next, and makes sense. The mother of seven children is too busy to be on a board right now, probably. She may find she has more time in another season.
“Why don’t you ask Mr and Mrs Soandso, they have a heart for missions,” was the final and most typical response. Translation: Mr and Mrs Soandso are involved in missions, have started their own not for profit organization, work hard, live by faith, and therefore they qualify to be nominated to do even more to help another organization by being on their board.
Let’s be frank, folks. It’s easy to be lulled into ennui. And it looks good. It stands tall, grows nice looking ears of corn, and is safely distanced in a neat row on the edge of society. Familiar questions in an ennui community will be, “Is that safe?”, “Did you get what you need?”, and “How are you?” These are thoughtful and caring questions. Nurturing even. But in this season on earth is it fruit-bearing?
It’s not that long ago that we sang songs like, “Work For The Night Is Coming When Man Works No More” and “O Christ Who Holds The Open Gate” There is something different about us now.
It’s really simple. Jesus said that we are to “Go” with the Gospel… unless He personally tells us to stay. When He tells someone to stay, He does so with a specific task … like manning the base of a missions agency so that others can go. Our existence centers around this truth. If it doesn’t we are not dying to ourselves, which is a sad loss to the potential Christ died to give us.
I don’t know about you, but I pray that at the end, when I stand before the Throne, I have some thirty-fold, sixty-fold and hundred-fold corn in my arms. Not for or about me, but because Jesus is worthy of my overtime, devotion, and life laid down. And those lives who could be saved, could be reached, could be helped … but can’t be for lack of things like a strong board … how glorious it would be to be gathered around the Throne together with them.
One row of corn can’t self pollinate. It take at least four rows. It’s a law of physics.
Missionaries and mission minded agencies can’t function alone. It take a team. It’s a piece of logic.
Perhaps when we thought 2020 would help us get a better vision going forward, we were not prepared for what that looks like? Ain’t gonna lie. Ennui has a bad after taste.
Photo by David Travis on Unsplash. Thank you David!