This Place Is Unstable

This place is unstable. It's like trying to do yoga balance poses on abandoned farm equipment - risky, unlikely, and wonderful. The Luther Seminary Community is in constant flux. The slight majority of seminarians (those doing mDiv degrees) are in school for 4 years. The first two years are spent on campus, then an off-campus internship, and then a final year on campus. If you follow that pattern, you will see that each year 1/3 of these students remain on campus. The other 2/3 are brand new or returning to a campus of students they have never met. While there are students who are PhD, MA, or going at their own pace, this is the decided reality for most here.

It came as a shock to me this fall that 2/3 of my friends are no longer here. I guess that is my punishment for being friendly and non-cliquey with those in my class. I have close friends starting their first calls, out on internship on both coasts, in Arizona and Texas, and some that have remained here. I just found out another friend will be leaving after this semester (following his wife to her new job). It is difficult to say goodbye to those we love and treasure...just as it is difficult to meet and invest in new relationships.

This community was such a blessing to me when I first came - but it is not stable. It is certainly not the same as it was 4 months ago, or 8 months ago, or at this time last year. We miss those who are no longer here with us.

This year, though, I have found another group of friends. A group returning from their internships. While we have mutual friends who are all over the country right now - most of us had never met before this fall. Yet, I feel like I have been grafted into their community. I have been a part of meals, baseball games, gatherings, Manning's excursions, movies, late nights, shopping trips, celebrations, worship, ceaseless generosity, and (of course) athleticism in their midst. It is such a blessing to be part of community...even it isn't what I expected or knew before. The unstable community is surely one with a stronger foundation than the individuals who are here at this moment.

This community is a blessing, even in its instability.