As I walked along the beach yesterday I got thinking about The Lord’s Prayer. “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” It was easy for me to feel God’s kingdom as a walked along. Let’s face it, a beautiful day on the beach, like many other beautiful walks, brings us to it. Put yourself in nature; how can it fail?
But what if I bring people into the scene? What if I have to compete, share, and negotiate with others? What if I have to give up control and surrender to others? Can God’s kingdom come then? My answer is that it has to, although admittedly it is much harder, and often pretty much impossible for me to envision it. That’s the challenge.
As I ended my walk I decided that God’s kingdom coming on earth isn’t something that I finally attain once and for all, and then there it is forever and ever. Rather God’s kingdom comes and goes. It’s up to me to let it in. It’s worth trying for repeat performances, alone along the beach as well as in all those communities of mine out there in the world.
But what if I bring people into the scene? What if I have to compete, share, and negotiate with others? What if I have to give up control and surrender to others? Can God’s kingdom come then? My answer is that it has to, although admittedly it is much harder, and often pretty much impossible for me to envision it. That’s the challenge.
As I ended my walk I decided that God’s kingdom coming on earth isn’t something that I finally attain once and for all, and then there it is forever and ever. Rather God’s kingdom comes and goes. It’s up to me to let it in. It’s worth trying for repeat performances, alone along the beach as well as in all those communities of mine out there in the world.
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