When I met Leona Bergstrom several years ago, I thought she was one of the kindest women I’d ever encountered in my life. She’s bright, fun, thoughtful, and overwhelmingly accepting. She gives people room to be exactly who they are. Leona and her husband, Richard just published their first book together, Third Calling. Please look it up, share it, buy it! It’s about purpose and passion and spiritual significance.
Here is one small piece of Leona’s journey …
I had to check the boxes every night, and I couldn’t fall asleep until I did. As a teenager, I kept a diary and on every day’s entry I listed four activities. Each had a box next to it, so when the task was finished, I could check it off: (1) brush my hair 100 strokes, (2) Do 100 sit-ups, (3) Calculate my calorie intake for the day, and (4) Have my QT.
Call me compulsive or dedicated — both would be accurate. I was compelled to do whatever necessary to have shiny hair and a slim body. And, I knew to be a good Christian, I had to have a quiet time with God — or as my youth leaders called it, my QT.
Now, in my sixth decade of life, I’ve learned that such rigidity verges on legalism. Today my hair is shiny because of the expensive shampoo I use. I gave up on sit-ups, and calorie counting seems futile. I’m viewing life with a new set of eyes these days, and that includes how I seek God. A checklist may assure that I’ve completed the task, but it doesn’t guarantee that I’ve experienced the Holy.
I am not alone in yearning for a meaningful connection with God that goes beyond the fill-in-the-blank devotions or quick downloadable inspirations. Boomers, whether they’ve grown up in the church or have followed Christ later in life, seem to have a deep longing for the Sacred. I see it in the eyes of fellow participants in spirituality and aging gatherings I attend. Frankly, I see it in the eyes of people sitting by me in the pew.
I understand the importance of disciplines — Bible Study, prayer, and worshipping with a community of believers. These practices prop up my Christian life, support my wobbly soul and teach me the truths of my faith. But after experiencing losses, traumas, and disappointments, as well as joys and triumphs, I realize God is in new places, fresh experiences, and raw encounters.
I long to go beyond briefly touching the pages of Scripture and go deeper in order to understand the story behind the story. Dr. William Thomas[1], noted geriatric physician and author, believes the older we get, the more we can understand the multiple layers of the what is happening around us. We see life in 3-D, or, what he calls, “getting the gist.” As we age, he says, we observe life with deep new insights that the young are hard pressed to match.
Getting the “gist” of God’s story demands more than spending a few minutes reading a devotional and checking a box. As I pursue knowing God and “enjoying and glorifying him forever,”[2]I am obliged to open my heart and mind to more thoughtful study, new experiences, new pathways of worship, and new avenues of encountering the Holy.
Gary Thomas, in his classic book, Sacred Pathways,[3] suggests that each of us may encounter God in unique ways, according to our spiritual temperaments. Some see Him in nature and creation. Others encounter Him intensely through simple, quiet contemplation and meditation; others through sacred liturgy and ritual, others through active service.
The notion that I can encounter the King of Kings through his word, and worship Him in multiple settings , helps me get the “gist” of God’s greater story in my life and the world. Today I will stand on the shore and marvel at the power of the ocean waves and experience the supremacy of the Creator. Tomorrow, I may kneel in the sanctuary of a grand cathedral and worship His Majesty, the Sovereign God. On Saturday morning, alone in my living room, I can play the piano, sing the traditional hymns of my faith and feel the familiarity of the Lord’s presence. One day, in serving soup to a homeless mom and her kids, I will deeply sense the profound compassion and love of the Great Shepherd. Experiencing God in these ways moves me beyond the pages of my daily devotions.
In this season of life I feel wildly free to meet and worship God in unusual and unexpected places.
My QT is quiet no longer.
[1] William Thomas, M.D., Founder, ChangingAging;
[2] The Westminster Shorter Catechism: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.”
[3] Gary Thomas, Sacred Pathways, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan) 1996.
Bio: Leona Bergstrom is a writer, speaker, consultant and Executive Director of Re-Ignite (www.Re-Ignite.net) and The Center for Transformational Aging. She is passionate about helping her peers, the Boomers, find purpose and passion in life and ministry. She maintains a blog that addresses issues common to many Boomers and their families. Along with her husband, Richard Bergstrom, she co-authored the soon-to-be-released book, Third Calling: What are you doing the rest of your life? (description below). They live in Seattle, have two adult children and six grandchildren.
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