Five-year-old Brya is home schooled, and, when her teacher-mother told her it was time to begin her art project, Brya was not exactly overjoyed. She spent a moment in contemplation, and then she told her mom that she didn’t plan on any immediate action concerning that art project. Instead, she was going to “wait for Going-to-Disney-Time.” Evidently a previous trip to Disney World had convinced Brya that she’d rather put those tough projects on hold while she waited for the next fun and happy family get-away.
I can certainly identify with that longing! When I’m faced with a big project, I’ll find a multitude of reasons to procrastinate, nothing as creative as Brya’s Going-to-Disney-Time, but I understand her desire to set aside the not-fun-stuff in favor of the more-fun-stuff.
In the New Testament book of Matthew, chapter 17, we read about the transfiguration of Christ, when Jesus takes his disciples, Peter, James, and John, up into a high mountain. There, Jesus was transfigured so that his “face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.” Then his disciples see Jesus speaking to Moses and the prophet Elias.
After that incredible experience, Peter suggests that they build three places of worship, one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elias.
You see, Peter didn’t want to return to lower ground. He longed to stay within that joyous experience on the mountaintop. Of course, Jesus knew that if he and his disciples stayed on the mountaintop, the good news of the gospel would never get beyond that one place.
Going-to-Disney-Time is a joyous memory for Brya, but her mom knows that if Brya spent every day at Disney, she wouldn’t learn the skills necessary to live a fulfilling and meaningful life. It’s the same for us in our spiritual growth. Life can’t be all about the fun-stuff or even the amazing-stuff. We need the tough times, the hard climb, the big projects, and the day-to-day ordinary experiences or else we won’t grow.
To borrow some wisdom from Brya’s mom — sometimes we have to forget about Going-to-Disney-Time and tackle that art project.