The sixth practice of following the Way of Love is the practice “To Go.” Bishop Budde once again provides spiritual guidance with wonderful insights (her own and quotes of wise people) and an even measure of encouragement and thought provoking questions to help the reader wrestle with the practical aspects of living and witnessing to their faith in God. Budde’s book, “Receiving Jesus: The Way of Love,” continues to help dive deeply into one more practice of living an active and fruitful life in relationship with Christ. The holy work of “going” requires patience, trust, and encouragement to overcome the obstacles we might encounter. As Budde writes, “There is risk in going, a vulnerability in crossing boundaries that conspire to keep us separate from one another. Yet such risk is an expression of love. Our going activates love within and among us that would otherwise lie dormant. Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians (2:5-8) of Jesus’ love as the ultimate border crossing and urges us to follow his example.” How can we begin the process of trusting God enough to have the confidence “To Go?”

One thought I appreciate very much from Bishop Budde is her acknowledgment that we cannot always “go” where we want, when we want…and sometimes we might feel “lesser than” others who go to far places or do difficult things in the name of Christ. Of this real emotional struggle for many of us, Budde writes, “We know that it isn’t possible for us to go everywhere, all the time. In the face of sometimes overwhelming need, the question of discernment is always before us. How on earth are we to determine where God is calling us to go in the midst of seemingly endless possibilities?” I have heard the struggles of people wondering “what is next” for them, as they hope to faithfully “go” where God is calling them. In this struggle to hear God, and in an often good-faith effort to do what seems to be God-like and worthy…we can “trick” ourselves to think that what he “hear” from God must not be from God because it is too little, too close to home, or too easy to accomplish. I do think God calls us to do things that can be uncomfortable, hard, or inconvenient; but I also think that God calls us to be faithful in small, sacred ways that eventually add up to be a tidal wave of love in the world. I think this can be especially true for folks who have just ended a significant ministry, lost a loved one, recently retired, or any other major life event. We look around and wonder why is it that we are “only” praying the Daily Office and keeping others in our daily prayers, while others are chairing the Mission Committee, leading Bible Study, or serving as missioners to those in need? Maybe God wants us to take time to “Rest” (the next chapter), or simply to be in a quiet, sacred place of restoration while we are being formed for the next chapter of the journey. The often used metaphor of the emerging butterfly never casts a bad thought on the formative time spent in the chrysalis, and neither should the time spent in prayer and preparation. Budde covers this important part of “going” in her section called “Saying No to Go.”

The next important part of Budde’s chapter is “Saying Yes to Go.” There is a time for all of us to finally say “Yes” to God. Budde writes, “Looking back on my life, there have been times when God planted a seed of possibility for my future by asking me to go somewhere well before I could possibly say yes…but God coaxes us in love from no to yes through the example of other people, and in particular, people who inspire us.” The important work of the community is not only working and serving God to help spread God’s love, but in the transformational work of teaching and forming members of the community for their life in Christ. The final clarity of God’s word to go to a particular place or to go and engage in a particular ministry gives the recipient of this clear word a sense of joy. Budde writes, “The path of joy, of our heart’s desire, can be trusted. God gave us our desires to help guide us in life.” Budde quotes Frederick Buechner when he writes of this joy by saying, “to go with God in joy is to go to the place where our deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” A prayerful sense of listening to God (using the practices already outlined) helps us to find this sense of great joy, which is the practice of “Going with God.”