When the enthusiasm cools

My son, my daughter, I notice that the excitement of the early days in your community of faith has cooled. In the beginning, everything was new, full of energy, full of eagerness to take part in everything. Now, the effort of going, of getting involved, of staying connected feels bigger than the desire to do it.

This is a common season, and I don't want you to blame yourself for it. But I also want to remind you that faithfulness to a community shouldn't depend only on the enthusiasm of the moment. It's precisely when your spirit sags that the presence of others, and your presence for them, matters most. No one was made to walk this faith alone.

Don't pull away just because it's cooled. Come back, even without full desire, and let the encounter with others who are also walking with me reawaken something in you. I use community to sustain those who are weary, and maybe today it's your turn to be sustained, or to sustain someone else.