Something I have learned about having small children is that they seem to grow and change before your very eyes. I swear that after a day of work, I can come home and my sons are five inches taller, are in need of a haircut, and they understand facts about the world that I never knew existed. After returning from a week’s vacation earlier this summer, my two-year-old seemed to have increased his vocabulary by 6000%, and my 5-year-old seemed to become a teenager while learning to fish with his cousins. I might be exaggerating a little bit, but it is true that they are changing and growing up more quickly than I can handle.
Almost all religious traditions have some central belief about changing or evolving. The notion of impermanence is central in Buddhist teaching, for instance. It is the idea that the very present moment is fleeting and that everything is in a state of change. In the Christian tradition, there is the belief that the spiritual path brings with it metanoia, the changing of one’s mind. Karl Barth famously made the argument that the Christian church is “semper reformanda” or “always reforming.” We now know that spiritual practices such as centering prayer, meditation, and yoga can actually change our brain and neural responses.
In some ways, these ancient traditions continually remind us of the truths we know but may not want to acknowledge. We are always changing. We are always evolving. We are always becoming. And such change is not only happening on a personal and individual level, but is also happening on a corporate and even cosmic level.
Such growth can bring with it anxiety, grief, or bittersweet emotions, but it need not be something negative. Yet such change can often be the catalyst for trying something new, taking risks, and discovering the depth of our potential.
Just over a week ago, our office said farewell to a wonderful and brilliant University Chaplain as she continues her ministry at another institution. That change brought with it a bit of panic, moments of grief saying goodbye to our colleague, and a rush of anticipation for the future. I also realize that there are other changes happening on campus, as well as in the personal lives of each of us. As I step into this new role as University Chaplain this year, I am excited to help members of our campus community discover the Divine, see the spiritual all around them, and realize the belovedness deep within each of us.
Moreover, I hope I can encourage all of us that we are on a journey that will bring with it change, restoration, becoming, and growth. We are all on a journey of self-discovery and personal fulfillment. We are not simply human doings. We are spiritual beings doing our best to be fully human. We are always becoming. We are always changing. There might be bumps along the way, but it is a journey worth taking. I hope you will join me.