Susan LaffertyNight flight. The hum of jet engines wraps around me. Creating space for solitude. Thought.
All else is silent. Lights out. Passengers sleep. A few watch small flickering screens, earphones in place.
Jetspeed on a clear sky night. Across Central Asia. The map says we’re passing over desert. Mountains. Cities and villages.
I watch out the window.
It’s a winter Sunday in Karachi. The late 1990’s. The worship service of the International Church of Karachi closes with the benediction.
Children run outside to play tag on the lawn in the sunshine. And adults filter slowly through the doors onto the patio.
Greeting one another. Stopping to chat and catch up. Pouring and sipping cups of tea in the shade of the carport.
Many linger for these fellowship times after the services. Sometimes for longer than the actual service itself.
Getting to know one another’s stories. Offering encouragement as we navigate the urban and cross-cultural challenges of living in the megacity. Karachi.
Abiding in Christ. It seems like a given. The common, daily practice of a follower of Jesus.
But in the midst of vision casting and formulating strategies for work and life, abiding in Christ too easily moves to the periphery.
We may take it for granted. Give it only lip service.
