Jan 23, 2020
By Carl Greene
Executive Director
I failed the vision test. There was no way around it: I simply could not see clearly.
I was in the high school nurse’s office with my face pressed into the overgrown viewfinder. I was essentially looking through a stationary pair of binoculars into a little box where I was supposed to see sign markings down the edge of railroad tracks that stretched out into the distance. I could see up close, but all that I could see down the line was a blurry outline of multiple signposts.
There was something especially troubling here: I thought that I could see fine—both close up and far away. Regardless, my parents set up an eye appointment for me to address the issue. The result, however, was far different when I looked at the doctor’s eye chart on the wall. This time my vision came in at 20-10, and he suggested that I consider being a pilot (which is especially funny given my reliance on Dramamine).
More broadly, the doctor explained my issue: when I looked at the wall chart, I knew I was looking long distance and my eyes focused accordingly. When I looked into the little box in the nurse’s office, my brain was expecting something close up, not simulated signs down the edge of distant railroad tracks. I was so fixated on what was close-up that I had no vision for the long term.
Vision for the Road Ahead: Health
I believe that vision issues are similarly true for us as churches and church members—we can become so focused on short-term tasks, on sustaining programs, or on maintaining our schedules that we start to lose the ability to have vision for the long-term future.
I think that this is especially the case when it comes to health. For instance, paying attention to my own physical health requires time, which is especially difficult when life is jam-packed with unending deadlines. I simply have to give up certain short-term productivity if I am going to invest in my long-term physical health.
Similarly, for churches and church members, we need to make some sacrifices in the area of productivity to allow for investing in emotional and spiritual health. I believe that this is a key component of our vision for the road ahead as a General Conference.
In Deuteronomy 4:9, the people of Israel are given a clear directive about long-term health as they prepare to enter the Promised Land: “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children …” God is calling the people to so much more than the promise of land in the near future—He is calling them to faithful obedience across the generations. This long-term vision requires three key components: Scripture, Spirit, and Sabbath.
Scripture
Soak in for a moment this phrase from verse 9: “take care, and keep your soul diligently.” This is an active role that we are called to—one that is explained more in verse 10 in which God says, “that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me …” This is a key recipe: long term health across the generations requires listening to God’s voice. If we want to experience increasing health as a General Conference, we need to listen diligently to God’s voice expressed in Scripture. Make no mistake about this—there is a “productivity” cost. We cannot simply be all about initiatives for church growth—there is a desperate need for long-term health derived from spending more time in Scripture than we currently spend.
Spirit Led
God calls His people to be in step with Him on our daily journey together. When we are called to be careful not to “forget the things that your eyes have seen” or to be careful that we do not allow our God moments to “depart from your heart,” we are called to be in step with Him. In fact, we are to be so passionate and consistent in our walk with God that we make our stories known to our children and our children’s children. We live life so authentically in step with God’s leading that it impacts those around us. Once again, this is a health item. We cannot be productive and pouring out all of the time to drive initiatives. We are called to commune with God and invest ever more time with Him in prayer and reflection.
Sabbath
This is a key piece to our call to health. In Deuteronomy4 where God is presenting a picture of health through Scripture rootedness, He lays the foundation for Deuteronomy 5 where the 10 Commandments are offered as specifics of what a healthy life looks like. In many ways, this picture of health is one of healthy rhythms, especially in the area of Sabbath. On the one hand, we should be very attuned to this given our name as Seventh Day Baptists. However, is it possible that we can be so focused on short-term change that we sacrifice the healthy rhythms of Sabbath rest as individuals and as churches? Do we step back and assess if as a faith community we are adequately providing margin where we are renewed and restored in a way that maintains long-term health according to God’s plan?
Healthy Churches and Healthy Leaders
As a General Conference, a key area for us to lean into is the long-term vision of healthy churches and healthy leaders. You will be seeing different ways that we flex and adjust as a Conference to best facilitate attention on health. We deeply love our churches and the leaders of those churches—it is important to express that love through keeping long-term vision for and investment in their health.
Back to the railroad tracks where I failed my vision test. I wonder if the long-term focus for our health as a General Conference relies on seeing the tracks clearly. One rail of the tracks is Scripture rootedness, one rail of the tracks is Spirit-led, while the space in between reminds us of the rest God provides through Sabbath rhythms. May we celebrate and move deeper into who we are as Seventh Day Baptists as we pursue long-term health along with the immediate demands of today. Blessing on our journey ahead. Together.
