It Is Not You Who Does It

When my body is weak, or when things around me are hard,
I think I am doing nothing to build up my congregation.
God calls this thought pride.
“It is because you stand facing the congregation
that you think you must build them up.
If you would only run toward me, standing ahead of you,
they would come on their own, stepping right in your footprints;
so why do you face them and try to win their approval?”
I ran toward God, who stood ahead of me.
And I was gathered into his arms,
just as a little child nestles into a mother’s embrace.
Held close, I could no longer see the world.
No, I had no need to see it; I was warm and safe.
God, holding me, looked at them himself
and began to speak to them.
God filled the place I had left.
And now he leads them more truly and more gently.
The footprints I left as I ran toward God
they too are treading, running with all their strength.
The footprints of my pride are wiped away,
and only the place of God’s grace remains.
Yes, it is not I who do it…