When we moved back to Canada last year, one of the first things that I did with my wife was sign up for a gym membership. When Christina and I were figuring out which gym to join, one of the sales associates decided to go with the “personalized” approach to try to “tailor” what his gym offered to our needs.
Anyway, he started with Christina and asked her what her goals were and why she wanted to join the gym. She said things like, “I’m thinking about doing a marathon,” “I want to stay healthy,” and other reasons along those lines. With quite the approving head nod, he wrote down her answers, made a few encouraging comments, and then turned to me. How about you Daniel?
I still remember his reaction to this day. When he heard my answer, it was utter shock. In fact, he stumbled over his words—not quite as long as Prime Minister Trudeau did when he was asked about President Trump’s response regarding the protests—but it was something like that.
“Chips. I love eating chips. I also love smoking meat on my BBQ. I just love eating. That’s pretty much the only reason I’m working out.”
Alright, so what’s the point?
We ended up joining the gym that day, and for several months, I made the commitment to not go into work until I first went to the gym—even if it was for only 30 minutes.
While I didn’t hit that goal 100% of the time, I actually did quite well.
For the first time in my life, I was working out more than once a week! My body, my health, and how I physically, mentally, and emotionally felt was the best it had ever been. And then COVID-19 hit. And then the gyms closed. And then grocery shopping got a little more complicated. (But, fear not, I still had my chips!)
In that moment, instead of hunkering down and just waiting for things to go back to normal, Christina and I decided to pivot and figure out a new rhythm and routine for exercise.
Pivot. Doesn’t it seem like the word of the year?
Although it seems like everyone and their mom are using this word, it really does encapsulate what we’ve had to do over these past few months. It’s either pivot or die.
There’s no going back to pre-COVID days. Yes, COVID-19 will eventually fade away, but it’s so deeply changed the fabric of our society and the way “church” looks, that even when we’re gathered together again it will be different.
It’s kind of like how Jesus interacted and ministered with his disciples pre-resurrection versus post-resurrection.
Let’s think about that for a moment.
After he was resurrected, things didn’t just go back to normal. Sure, he still ate fish, but it wasn’t the same. There was a new normal—there had to be—because something was fundamentally different. It was a big “C” change, not a small “c” change.
Well, it’s the same with COVID-19. There is no going back. So, if you don’t pivot, you won’t survive. If you don’t pace yourself, you won’t survive. And if you don’t practice rhythms of rest, you won’t survive.
Pivot, pace, and practice. Pivot, pace, and practice.
You need to pivot your plans in this new day of mission, which we’ll get to in a moment. You need to pace yourself since we’re not in a sprint, but in a marathon. And you need to practice healthy rhythms of rest—daily, weekly, and seasonally—so that you can be responsive to the leading and movement of the Holy Spirit.
What does it look like to pivot our plans in this new day of mission?
Although the future is uncertain, the opportunity that we have to look to Jesus and be the church is unprecedented. In fact, when we entered into this COVID season, God laid those two phrases on our hearts at my church, Beulah—look to Jesus and be the church.
Yes, we don’t know how long this is going to last, but we can look to Jesus and be the church.
Sure, we don’t know how low our offering and giving is going to dip—or how long it’s going to last for that matter—but we can look to Jesus and be the church.
Absolutely, there’s a lot of noise out there with polarizing views and solutions to this whole thing that make it hard to know left from right, but we can look to Jesus and be the church.
In other words, there’s a lot that is still uncertain, but there’s even more that’s certain because we worship a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. We worship a God who will never leave us nor forsake us!
I love what it says in Isaiah 55:8-9 CSB,
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not my ways.”
This is the Lord’s declaration.
“For as heaven is higher than earth,
so my ways are higher than your ways,
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Friends, although the future is uncertain, this doesn’t mean that we should put planning to the wayside, since the harvest is still plentiful and the workers are few.
So in the midst of our uncertain future, here’s what I want to leave you with. As it relates to planning, obviously soak yourself in the Scriptures, wait on the Holy Spirit, and do this in community with other leaders, but make adaptability the lens in which you do everything.
Plan in shorter timeframes so that you can continue to pivot as you learn what’s effective and what isn’t. Ideate, test, and then evaluate. Ideate, test, and then evaluate. Do this over and over again to see what works and what doesn’t.
Let me end with the words of Jesus in John 4:35 CSB,
“Don’t you say, ‘There are still four more months, and then comes the harvest’? Listen to what I’m telling you: Open your eyes and look at the fields, because they are ready for harvest.