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The Long View – Oscar Romero – Quote of the Week

June 22, 2013 By Jean Wise

It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.


The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
 it is beyond our vision.


We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction 
of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work.

Nothing we do is complete,
 which is another way of saying that 
the kingdom always lies beyond us.



No statement says all that could be said.


No prayer fully expresses our faith.


No confession brings perfection.

No pastoral visit brings wholeness.


No program accomplishes the church’s mission.


No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

That is what we are about:


We plant seeds that one day will grow.


We water seeds already planted, knowing that they hold future promise.


We lay foundations that will need further development.


We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything and
 there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.


This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.


It may be incomplete,
 but it is a beginning, a step along the way, 
an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results,
 but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders,

ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

Amen.

 Oscar Romero

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Healthy Spirituality – a sacred space to nurture your faith, grow closer to God, and belong to a community, walking together on life’s journey. This blog is written by author, speaker and retreat leader Jean Wise

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