by Dan Sheffield

Ordering my house…

A couple of years ago I visited my local art gallery (AG of Hamilton). I sat on a bench in front of Tom Thomson’s, The Birch Grove, for an extended time. And here I am still thinking about/remembering that space. Growing up I lived in Thomson’s northern Ontario. In the trees, in the wind, on the rocks; a bold, stark, beautiful, silent, throbbing world. Sitting in front of that painting I felt myself in that space. I also felt myself absorbing the artistry of Thomson’s vision, and his creative hand. My first vision of my life was as an artist. My first drawings were of comic-book heroes (easy to copy) -- and  trees.

Then the city, noise, people, buildings, books, cinema, concrete, steel, more people, church, programs, meetings, more and more people…

Ok, so I’m an introvert, who is nurtured by trees and rocks…

Ok, so I’m a Canadian, who is nurtured by the geographic span of this land…

These are deep-rooted images and values that have shaped who I am.

But still the pace of my life and the people around me are moving at a rate that leads me to question how my walk with Jesus needs to be re-ordered to allow for restorative ‘space’ in my life. I’m thinking that ‘re-ordering the normal order of things to better reflect the order of the kingdom of God’ needs to include less people, less meetings, less programs, less ‘church’, less noise. Does kicking back at the darkness include saying ‘no’ to too many hockey lessons and practices, to too many coffee meetings, to too much time on the PS3, to too much Jon & Kate plus 8, to too much extra-curricular everything?

I found a good text to help flesh this out (I was just reading it this morning, honest):

‘teach me how to live, Yahweh. Lead me along the right path… I am confident I will see Yahweh’s goodness while I am here in the land of the living. Wait patiently for Yahweh. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for Yahweh.’ [Psalm 27]

So next week I am going to Sri Lanka for 2 weeks where I will be with people, talking about buildings, programs, challenges, having lots of meetings, and more and more people…

Then when I come back I am spending three days at a little hermit’s cottage on a farm close to lots of trees, reordering and restoring.

I really like the idea of hanging out with Jesus during his regular prayer retreats in the Judean wilderness; you notice he ordered his life that way. Then he would come back and dive into the noise, people, meetings and parties. He had a way of ordering his life that nurtured his soul and gave him resources for his encounters with people, and systems, and injustice. I’d like to keep that kingdom economy going in the rhythms of my life.