Occasionally, I attend a meeting that has nothing to do with church. A meeting during the day is even more of a rarity. This was a social meeting; no agenda, no minutes or financial matters, no courtesy report. Our program for the day centered around special memories of our own weddings with many laughs shared among this gathering of sisters.

As a group of us left the building I found myself as a third-party listening to a conversation between two women. They were discussing retirement, recreation, hobbies, etc., and while inquiring minds always want to know, I found my mind wandering. What caught my attention was talk of money; you see this family had made the conscious decision not to be involved in an activity they had previously enjoyed. What pre-empted this decision – children, grandchildren, traveling, sore knees, swollen ankles, a bad shoulder, arthritis, high blood pressure, or diabetes? No, it was none of these. “When it cost more to _____ than we gave to the church, we decided to reexamine our priorities.” My ears couldn’t believe it.

My mind began to race … how many times has my relationship with Christ been a second-best effort?

Grace and peace,

Pastor Mary