Growing Takes Re-creation

Rev. Erik Swanson
July 12, 2026

There was a time when I seriously considered becoming a math teacher because I loved mathematics and enjoyed encouraging young people. One aspect of teaching that especially appealed to me was the rhythm of the school year — a season of hard work followed by a season of rest and renewal. While I know teachers work far beyond what many people realize, I was drawn to the idea that life should include intentional times of recreation and restoration. That rhythm also reflects how I understand God. God’s work of creation did not end in Genesis; God continues creating, renewing, and bringing life each day. I believe we are invited to participate in that ongoing work, both in the world around us and within ourselves.

Taking Time To Let God Re-create Us

I have learned how essential it is for us to periodically step away from the daily demands of ministry. Time away is not an escape — it is an opportunity to let God recreate me. Caring for ourselves is not selfish; it is part of faithful living. We need rest for our bodies, minds, and spirits. Too often we hear voices telling us that our worth depends on constant work or that we must somehow earn God’s love. I do not believe those voices come from God. God calls us beloved, and out of that love invites us to receive care as well as offer it.

How Growth Happens

Just as muscles become stronger through a cycle of exercise, rest, and healing, our lives also require seasons of renewal. Growth is impossible without re-creation. I think the church sometimes misses this by emphasizing belief without encouraging growth. Simply accepting a set of doctrines is not the same as spiritual maturity. Growth happens when we ask difficult questions, wrestle with our faith, listen to one another, and allow our understanding to deepen over time. I hope my faith today is richer than it was years ago and that I continue growing in love, wisdom, and compassion.

Rooted in Love

This season of the church year reminds us to put into practice everything we have learned from Advent through Pentecost. Paul’s words to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 13: 1-13) challenge us to remember that even the greatest accomplishments are empty if they are not rooted in love. Spiritual maturity requires letting go of childish ways and allowing God to shape me into someone who loves more deeply.

Growing In Love

I also believe that death and resurrection are ongoing experiences within us. We continually let go of old ways so that God can bring new life. That requires making intentional space for spiritual recreation through prayer, silence, nature, retreats, or other practices that refresh the soul. I often ask myself: How am I growing in love, patience, peace, grace, discernment, and awareness of God’s presence? What is preventing that growth?

What Refreshes You?

Many people struggle to answer a simple question: What truly refreshes you? In a culture that celebrates constant productivity, it can feel uncomfortable to prioritize our own renewal. Yet burnout, stress, and exhaustion remind us that we cannot pour from an empty cup. Whether it is hiking, gardening, fishing, creating art, reading, spending time with loved ones, or simply enjoying quiet, we each need practices that restore us.

God sets before us the way of life and invites us to choose it. My prayer is that we intentionally make room for God’s renewing work within us, allowing our bodies, minds, and spirits to be refreshed so that we can more fully participate in God's ongoing work of creation and love.