YMJen

Each time I’ve undergone a job search, one of the first compensation questions that I’ve asked is “How much vacation time do I get?”

For my husband & I, in these “pre-family” years, traveling has been a priority. We enjoy seeing & experiencing new things & learning from different people & cultures.

This year, my husband & I were ecstatic to be able to string two consecutive weeks together to vacation in New Zealand. Compared to most people we know who take, at most, a week-long vacation, we felt as though we were incredibly fortunate to be able to take this long of a vacation. Yet, upon arriving in New Zealand, we began meeting people from all over the world, from nations where the standard vacation allotment is 4-6 weeks. In fact, we met one woman, Barbara, from the Czech Republic, who was in New Zealand for one month & yet remarked, “One month is not enough time to travel, but this is all the time I have for my holiday.”

This got me thinking: What are we, in the States, missing because of our success-driven, fast-paced culture that seldom allows us to take extended “holidays”?

Our standard of living may be higher in the States than in other countries (though perhaps even that is starting to decline), but at what cost?

Many Americans work extremely long hours, 50 weeks a year, and seldom take time to enjoy the fruits of their labor. On those rare weeks when we do take vacations, we typically view them as an escape from the stress & responsibility of our normal lives; As a way of running away from whatever currently weighs on our hearts.

Yet, elsewhere around the world, vacations are called “holidays” and the emphasis seems to be not on what people are escaping, but rather on where they’re going; On what they’ll experience once they get there; On meeting new people; And on taking time to rest, play, and to celebrate life.

All this was on my mind yesterday as I returned to the office for the first time since returning from my New Zealand holiday. In preparation for a prayer night I’m planning for next week, I’m currently reading Mark Yaconelli’s “Downtime: Helping Teenagers Pray” and was struck by this passage:

“The basic expression of our life in God is found in what the early monastics referred to as “holy leisure.” Leisure, in the spiritual sense of the word, describes a “condition of the soul”. It is a receptivity & gratefulness to the mystery & wonder of being alive in the world. Holy leisure is a spiritual attitude that seeks to behold the mystery of God’s life & creation beneath the activities & the roles we perform.”

It seems to me that without realizing it, as evidenced by the way they travel, my new friends from elsewhere around the world grasp this concept of “holy leisure” far more than I. Yet their example gave me a brief taste of what this holy leisure might look like in my life – on holidays and at home. I hope that this taste is enough for this attitude to continue to permeate the way I live the rest of the year as well, with an air of celebration and the ability to take time to rest, play, & to be receptive to the mystery & wonder of being alive in the world.

Last week, I had lunch with a good friend of mine, Kitty.

Kitty is someone that has had a hugely important role in my life since about 1990, when she came to First UMC Park Ridge as our Associate Pastor. During her tenure at First UMC, part of Kitty’s job was to oversee and develop our youth ministry, something I’m pretty sure she initially wanted no part of. Yet, over time, we “trained” Kitty & she also trained us – loving us, discipling us, & challenging us.

In so many ways, Kitty taught me what it means to live a Christian life by loving people. Kitty taught me that pastors are human. Kitty also taught me what it truly means to be in relationship with someone else; She taught me how to be present in people’s lives. Kitty walked with my family during one of our darkest times – as both my uncle & my grandma were dying of cancer. In fact, she was at my house the night my Grandma passed away. Beyond that, Kitty has played a significant role in my life since. Overtime, Kitty has become an important mentor in my life who’s advised me on family situations, job difficulties, marriage, faith, and life. In a lot of ways, she’s been the most tangible example I’ve had of Christ in my life.

For as long as I can remember, Kitty has been someone who has quietly and reassuringly spoken belief into my life. Even as an arrogant, outspoken, opinionated junior high youth, Kitty saw leadership potential in me and did all she could to develop it. Today, she still speaks that belief into my life. In fact, even as we said good-bye last week, Kitty told me, “I’m so proud of you, Jen.”

It’s because of Kitty’s presence in my life that I’m in ministry today.

It’s also because of Kitty’s constant and on-going presence in my life (for nearly 20 years now!) that I believe so strongly in the importance of mentoring as a part of my ministry. Each year, I try to mentor 1-2 girls in my ministry who have a desire to grow in their faith and who I see leadership potential in. My goal in this relationship isn’t to train them to be Youth Pastors. It’s simply to walk through life with them, speaking belief into their lives when no one else does it, and helping them to wrestle with the tough things they face and to spot God in the midst of their daily life. Because I know how significant this kind of relationship has been in my own life, more than anything else I do in a week, I believe it’s these relationships that will have a lasting impact on people’s lives and on the Kingdom of God .

Thanks, Kitty – for investing in me as a Jr. High student and for continuing to do so today.