Did you know I can juggle? It isn’t smooth or rehearsed, but I can throw some things in the air, catch them, and make it happen again for a few rounds. For part of a semester in high school, I took a gym class that included juggling. We started by learning the rhythm of toss and catch with balls, followed by settling into a steady pattern and working on flow, and then adding other items including various-sized balls, bowling pins, and even tossing with partners! There was so much to think about.
I haven’t used these physical skills throughout my life, but the image of juggling is a constant one for me – and I would guess it is for you, too. All day, every day, we are juggling. Juggling duties, relationships, priorities, emotions, and more. At any one moment, we have several things in motion, trying to keep each of them from crashing to the ground.
My sweetie Tera and I saw KÀ by Cirque du Soleil, last summer. If you haven’t ever seen a Cirque du Soleil show, it is an eclectic collision of circus, acrobatics, concert, and theater. I remember one scene where one of the characters was juggling various things, while their attention was really on something else that was happening. It was as if the ball tossing was an afterthought to the primary task before them.
Isn’t that how we feel sometimes? We’re juggling all kinds of things, which can’t even be our focus because there’s a whole other part of our story that needs our attention. We multi-task within our multi-tasking.
We juggle our sorrow from the death of a friend while trying to concentrate on work. We manage staff or write lesson plans while celebrating the birth of a child or grandchild. We make dinner, get an oil change, schedule a follow-up appointment with the dentist, plan a vacation, carve out time for lunch with a friend, all while trying to meet a deadline for work, finish the book for book club, and pull together a snack for the party. And that’s just one afternoon! Sometimes, we wonder how do we keep it all going?
Jesus was a master juggler. He always had multiple ministry balls in the air but was still willing and able to take time for personal connections. Even while religious leaders were breathing hate and trying to figure out ways to shut him down, Jesus stopped by to share a meal with an opponent of the faith community. While he was on his way to heal people, he paused to heal people. Preaching, teaching, curing, or praying, he was focused on loving God with his whole being and loving his neighbor.
Even in the final moments of his life, when he was on the cross, Jesus was thinking of and caring for others. Pastor Bill Yonker says that as Jesus was suffering and dying, he took time to perform an adoption ceremony. In a moment of immense compassion and love, he webbed his mother Mary and his disciple John into a new family to help combat their grief and loss (John 19:25b-27). Still, there were times throughout his life when he paused and set things aside for rest and renewal.
As we launch into the new year, are there balls in the air that you need to set down? Do you need a break from all the juggling? Do you need to hand some tasks over to a partner or colleague, maybe delegating them to someone else altogether?
Did you know that God invites you to pass off worry and concern into God’s embrace? Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). Are you weary? Is your burden too great? Do you hope that the juggling will stop or at least pause so you can rest and catch your breath? Consider taking Jesus up on his offer. You don’t have to do it all by yourself.
Wishing you peace and joy,
Pastor Lowell