Something to Do

I'm waiting here in the lobby of a Holiday Inn Express.  Some of the wedding party is staying here tonight.  Toni and I will be going to my aunt's home soon.  We spent the day getting ready for the wedding and reception (thanks to great family and friends!) and enjoyed the groom's dinner (Filipino food with blessings, prayer and tinikling afterward) provided by my soon-to-be in-laws.  Tomorrow's festivities are at my dad's sister's church - First Lutheran Church, Columbia Heights.  I think we're looking forward to a beautiful day.

Getting ready for this wedding makes me so appreciative of all the people in my life, each with his or her own personality and talents.  Some are just really hard workers.  As my uncle chopped fruit, my sister helped Pastor Kevin arrange flowers.  As my many others got the reception area ready, the church staff worked to repair the air conditioning.  It was a sweet picture of the body of Christ on earth.  (See First Corinthians 12:27.)

Because this wedding weekend is pretty well planned it wasn't too hard for any of us to find something to do that was helpful and that each one of us could do fairly well.  I knew enough not to take responsibility for deciding how to place and drape the fancy cloths over the table that will hold the wedding cake.  I could chop fruit, carry some things, and, later, share some scripture and prayer at the rehearsal.  No one asked me to be the photographer or the flower arranger.  Things were well planned and each of us found a worthwhile role. 

It's different, though, on an every day basis.  Sometimes we feel pressured into doing what really isn't something that fits with our personality or talents--and not just for a few hours!  Or, sometimes things just aren't organized well enough to have someone telling us what to do at all and we feel like we're just standing around or sitting, twiddling our thumbs while we know there just has to be some way we can be of help.

This summer, at Crossroads, beginning Monday evening, March 13, we'll help one with this.  For more, see "Summer Start."

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