“… and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you.” –1 Thessalonians 3:12
For almost one year, we have been intentionally focusing on ways to connect with one another across Loma Linda University Health (you may have noticed that the weekly devotionals for the past months have all mediated on Bible verses about how to treat one another).
How has the experience been for you? Have you found it challenging to make time to really get to know your colleagues, co-workers, students, patients or staff? I wonder. Am I the only one who has found it difficult to stay focused on making time for God, myself and others? In reflecting on this goal to stay connected to one another, I have come to realize a few things.
I have learned that, like any good habit, it takes time andpractice to truly stay connected. Whether we are in the corporate, clinical or academic part of the organization, we live in a fast-paced environment! In our efforts to do our jobs, we may miss the opportunities and invitations from God to connect with Him, ourselves and others.
I have also discovered that we are all very busy. (I can see you saying, “Really Dilys?!”) In and of itself this is not necessarily a bad thing. However, we run into difficulties when we don’t create spaces or margins in our lives for renewal. When I learned to acknowledge that I was busy, the next thing was to assess how this helped or hindered me from being a child of God, wife, mother, chaplain, coworker, sister, daughter or friend. The results revealed that I made little room for intentional connecting.
Like many of you across the organization, I look forward to my weekly Sabbaths. They are a reminder that we need to both work and rest, and I enjoy every single one of them. What would it look like if we created spaces throughout our week to have mini-Sabbath experiences? What if we made specific spaces in each day even if they are only 15 minutes long to create the same connections?
Scriptures prompt us to be wise stewards of our time. As I read Paul’s words above to the church in Thessalonica that he worked to create with God’s help, I am encouraged. How did he manage multiple congregations, travel, navigation of social customs and norms, work a second job, study scripture, counsel and much more? He was busy! He had no computers, social media, pager, cellphone or email!
When we read his letters, we discover that he purposely made time to connect with God, himself and others. This line of scripture is the “secret sauce” — Paul knew that it was only with God’s help that we can learn to love and stay connected to one another. He spent time in payer for himself and others, which resulted in tangible acts that facilitated intentional times of connecting.
All of us who work for this organization are busy, striving to continue the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus Christ. As we move through these last weeks of summer, it is my prayer that we make space in our schedules for margins. Join me in acquiring daily and weekly habits and experiences that provide both rest and renewal.
Taking walks around campus with someone, having lunch with others with no agendas, finding moments to be still, practicing mindfulness, praying, and sending a text or note of gratitude are just a few of the ways that can help us stay connected to one another and reclaim the margins of your life.
—Dilys Brooks, MDiv, is associate campus chaplain at Loma Linda University.
