A Note From Rob ...
Week of May 31
One of my childhood friends when living in Hamlet, NC was Jeff. He lived one street away and the path
from his house to mine was well-worn. I moved from that house after the second grade so my memories are over
50 years old. I do not recall many events and experiences. However, one experience is seared into my memory
with laser clarity.
We did not have diversions purchased in stores so we found ways to amuse ourselves in what was
available. One of the possibilities was a tree close by. So up we went. We climbed and climbed, exploring every
inch of that tree. It was not an oak, maple or pine. I really don’t remember what it was; maybe a China Berry tree.
While we did not know what kind of tree is was, we knew that tree.
One of our joys was to jump from limb to limb, no doubt influenced by the Tarzan movies we had seen. It
was great fun, unless you could not reach or hold onto the branch. The fall did not injure us, save a bit of pride, or
discourage us, save occurrences that caught us up short, from time to time.
Sometimes we would be reaching for the branch before us almost becoming parallel to the ground.
Missing the branch meant a thud on the ground. I can still remember the feeling of hitting the ground on my chest
with arms stretched in front of me like a swimmer off of the blocks diving headlong into the water. I can still feel
the sharp pain and terror when the breath was knocked out of me. I could not catch my breath and for that split
second fear told me I might never breathe again.
Has that ever happened to you? Maybe not as I was. But in a metaphorical sense, have you ever had the
breath knocked out of you? Maybe it was as you reached for a dream or took a flying leap to grasp hope. Perhaps
when reaching for a person, only to fall to the ground as hard as you fell for a hopeful love. It can happen to
anyone and in any situation when one takes a leap of faith and reaches out.
It can happen to individual Christians and churches as well. Sometimes we reach out, stretching ourselves
to grasp the goal before us. Like a young boy in Hamlet, when we hit the ground with a thud, we may have the
breath knocked out of us. It hurts.
May I add a word of comfort and encouragement? We should be comforted to know that it is just
temporary and encouraged to climb back up into that metaphorical tree and take a flying leap again. The breath
knocked out of us will soon fill our lungs with life.
This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday. It is a time the Church celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit. Just when
the disciples thought the breath had been knocked out of them, God breathed new life, power and purpose into
their lives. Won’t you join us this Sunday when we catch our breath?
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