A Spiritual Nomad

“How can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?

Psalm 137:4

Elmer Picket was a creature of habit. He awakened every morning at 6, did his chores between his first cup of coffee and breakfast. He wore the same boots he’d worn for years and always hung his coat on hook to the right of the kitchen door. Routine gave him a sense of comfort, which is why he was so disturbed when he came in one morning and realized his coat hook was gone. 

“What am I supposed to do with my coat,” he asked his wife who explained she was redecorating the entrance way. 

“You’ll just have to hang your coat on another hook,” she replied.

What do you do when something you’ve relied on, been comforted by, and expected, is taken away? That’s the question so many of us have been asking as we’ve tried to adapt to life during the pandemic. Some of the changes have been small, others significant, but all of them have left us off-center and out of sorts. The hook has been moved and we don’t know what to do with our coat.

For me, the biggest adjustment has been finding a spiritual home. I love and rely on church to ground me and connect me with God and others. Going to church on Sunday - hearing the organ, singing the hymns, hearing the lessons and sermon, and seeing others - feeds my soul. It’s a routine I enjoy, but it’s been taken away and I’ve struggled without it more than I thought I would. Our church, like many others, has worked hard to offer alternatives, but virtual church just doesn’t do it for me. 

Clinging to my coat, I’ve searched for another hook. I’ve taken walks, listened to music, subscribed to inspirational podcasts, sat in solitude with candles, but none of them have taken the place of going to church. 

I know, the church is not a building. There are many hooks for my spiritual coat, but I miss my damn church!