My reflection on the work of churches and Fishhook while on medical leave.

During a recent medical leave, I had extra time to rest and reflect on my faith, family and work at Fishhook. Although I was in the process of healing, I loved having extra time to focus on my family. Typically, I’m not a person who spends a lot of time sitting still, so this was a distinct change of pace. I read to my kids more often. We watched movies and talked about life.

As we spent time together, I was reminded of a Christmas visit with one of our church members years ago. In her late 80s, she lived in a small tidy apartment in an assisted living facility. We had gone to pray and lift her spirits during the holidays. However, I received an important gift that day, a comment that has remained in the forefront of my mind.

With kindness in her eyes, she leaned forward and said, “Do you have children? I hope you do. Your years with your children are the best years of your life, so don’t miss ‘em.” I took her words to heart that day and every day since.

At Fishhook, we pay careful attention to having a sense of work/home balance. Some weeks, the pendulum might swing a little farther in one direction, but our goal is to keep it in healthy balance over time. We even say that our most significant impact in life won’t be at or through our work at Fishhook. Our primary calling begins in our homes and marriages, with family and with friends.

If this is true, then why does our work at Fishhook matter? Why does your work matter? I reflected on this recently, and the answer was clear.

Our work (yours and mine) matters because the most significant moments of our lives are meant to be spent kneeling at the foot of the cross, moving forward in faith or resting in the arms of God ... and we believe the local Church helps people find their way to all of those places.

God’s intent for the Church is to be a source of hope and an instrument of reconciliation. It is no waste of time to be steadfast in serving His Church, helping its people go farther, run faster and make a bigger impact on the world than we ever could on individual journeys.

Our church family was incredibly gracious to us during my leave. They prayed, visited, called, texted, brought meals, sent flowers and offered to watch our kids. They jumped in, right alongside our regular family, to help in any way they could. In short, they loved us well.

In the brightest and darkest moments in our lives, we need a community of Christ followers to help us celebrate, grieve, heal, keep our commitments, sort things out and guide us to the God who created us and loves us.

If the Church goes silent, or even whispers, because sharing its message effectively in today’s culture is too confusing, scary or challenging, who will fill that void? Church leaders, we believe your work matters, and so we believe our work matters – every day, every conversation, every task.