by Sallie Hart
One summer when I was a camper at Camp Henry the priest taught us a discipline for the week—to look for God moments. Everyday we looked and listened everywhere for moments of laughter, connection, inspiration, stories of faith and love. It was a way to learn how to pay attention. In sharing these moments every evening, we strengthened and amplified our thanksgivings for one another and the world around us.
As I navigate through my twenties, I seek those deep experiences and rich disciplines that feed my soul. Those experiences came from Youth Council and Camp Henry as a teenager in WNC, and traveling and service work as a college student at Sewanee. Now I’m learning how to be a young lay person in the Episcopal Church through volunteering with Room in the Inn, traveling to the Diocese of Durgapur, and co-leading Lectio Divina. As I learn about my gifts, identify my passions, and develop spiritual disciplines of my own, I have to make decisions about where to put my energy. This is why I wanted to be an intern for the next six months with Robbin Whittington, the Director of the Center for Spiritual Resources. The Center for Spiritual Resources is developing as a hub for connecting and engaging people and ideas within our Diocese.
One of my heroes is Dr. Muhammad Yunus, micro-credit pioneer and founder of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. He initiated a new paradigm in the academic and business world about the benefits of investing in people, without the primary motivation of financial profit. The church is a strong example of the social business model. Bishop Probal Dutta and his staff in the Diocese of Durgapur in West Bengal, India, have started afterschool programs for vulnerable children and utilize sources like the Episcopal Relief and Development to fund health clinics and micro-credit ventures. Bishop Dutta, a former businessman, has shifted his focus to empower and lift up the people in his diocese. Success today is still often measured in numbers, but also values the quality of life and our environment.
Our recent Diocesan trip to India was surprisingly refreshing. Traveling puts me out of my comfort zone and stretches my limits. This trip gave me a chance to let go of being in control and let God do his work in and through me. We lived in the moment, every moment, for two solid weeks. There were times of reflection and slowing down, to drink tea, but mostly we witnessed God moments in the rich layers of culture, color, sound, and smell in India.
In his Ash Wednesday sermon, Bishop Taylor challenged us to have faith in our calling, to let go, and to be honest with ourselves. For me, this means paying attention, reaching out into a new and unfamiliar space, and trusting God’s direction.