Every year, I ask God to give me a word to focus on. In my prayer, it seemed God wanted to teach me about the word ‘new’ in 2020. It made sense; a few months back, I started anew by moving cities, changing jobs and making new friends. It really felt like God was honing in on this word when I was tasked to organise an event called ‘New Beginnings’. This event was aimed at young adults who were going through similar life changes and was hopefully a way to celebrate new adventures and welcome them into the fold.
It’s crazy to think that New Beginnings was the first event of the year for our Pastoral Services team, yet also the last one before lockdown. Upon reflection, I realised that what I learnt as a newcomer to Hamilton and through organising New Beginnings were also the same lessons I’ve been learning anew in lockdown.
Do your best…
Upheaval, changes and crises like COVID-19 have a funny way of exposing truths about yourself, and sometimes these truths are hard to look at. When I first moved to Hamilton, I thought I had everything falling into place. Then disorientation hit; I no longer knew where the ‘go-to’ places were and had to meet new ‘go-to’ people. It felt like I had to begin again, and that meant going back to basics.
I couldn’t help but empathise with the young adults who we were ministering to at New Beginnings, the vulnerability of being the ‘new kid on the block’. I empathised because these difficulties were on display when I was organising the event, and recognised the need to make new connections and learn new skills.
Importantly, I also learnt that it was okay to be a beginner and feel like I didn’t have everything together. There is an adjustment period when being 'new' and it might be a bit uncomfortable for a time. Learning that I just need to do my best was a great comfort, and it’s a lesson I’m hearkening back to in lockdown, having to think on my feet and adapt to a new way of working and living.
...and let God do the rest.
When doubt is easily experienced and comfort is hard to come by, our need for God is more keenly felt. These new situations are perfect examples of this. I prayed so much during my move, not because I thought it was the right thing to do, but because I felt this need so much, with everything being in flux and God being the only constant.
In the first few months in my job, I had the privilege of journeying with a young adult who was going through a similar thing and was still seeking this constant. I could see how it would be so difficult not to have God in these moments.
I leaned on God a lot too as I organised New Beginnings, as a lot of the work required my initiative! I didn’t know what would work and what wouldn’t, and this anxiety made me realise that it was God’s work, and I was just His vessel. The results were His, I just needed to pray and work with diligence. Through this, I became more aware of the 'little nuggets', His Providence. For example, I had planned for people to play frisbee on the field, yet I completely forgot the frisbee! Being so close to the opening of the event, there was no way I could get one in time, but a friend of mine told me he found a frisbee on the roof of the school we were setting up at! How amazing, God gifted us a frisbee from the sky!
Lockdown can teach us this lesson too. With the restrictions including not being able to access the Sacraments and the difficulties we face from being at home in our bubbles, we are learning about our deep need for God. It’s been a blessing having God at the centre of my days at home, being more intentional and having set prayer times. Even though we can’t go to Mass, we can let this hunger change our hearts and seek Him out more and more.
Community is Crucial.
Not only was I reminded to lean on God, but I also learnt the importance of leaning on others. Nothing grounds you quite like community, and this was something I was blessed to dive into when I moved to Hamilton, through the nature of my work. Often people who are new in a city, job or any situation can find it hard to meet new friends or establish a support system. This was one of the main aims of New Beginnings, to cultivate an environment where people felt welcome and could make friends more easily.
I enlisted the help of many groups in the Diocese so that our young adults would be well connected, focused on the important aspects of the day that brought people together; the Mass, great food, a hospitable environment, great people (who were intentional about making people feel welcome). The bells and whistles wouldn’t have mattered if these things weren’t in place. As the organiser, the biggest joy I had out of New Beginnings was not only seeing everyone enjoy themselves and connect, but it was so amazing to see many generous people come together for one purpose: Hamilton Dove Fellowship donating baking, young adults providing sound gear and expertise, volunteers manning the barbeque and sign-up stall, and my team helping with all of the above and everything in-between. Many hands make light work, and it also made my heart swell with gratitude.
Haven’t we found this blessing in lockdown, the fact that we have more time to catch up with our friends and give them a call? Isn’t it funny that now we can’t see each other, our need for community is on display? It’s a golden lesson I’m certainly hoping to put into practice post-lockdown.
Speaking of golden, Christ knew what He was talking about when He commanded us to love Him with all our heart, soul and strength (meaning do your best!) and love your neighbour as yourself. This golden commandment will never change, even when life brings us to new adventures. Let’s cling to the Word when we are called to begin again.
