Up until recently, the only “verses” I had listened to with words containing “Jesus” were also replete with expletives.

Let me explain. Although pretty much always pre-occupied with the startup 24/7, my schedule does afford flexibility to explore other interests and run errands during “normal” times while others are stuck behind a desk. Whether it’s mundane stuff like making a salon appointment or healthy lifestyle resolutions like hitting the gym in the morning AND having time to cook a warm breakfast, having scheduling autonomy more or less opens the doors for exploration, since I know I’m going to be working when everyone else is sleeping anyway. To this day, I am reminded every so often of this glorious privilege as I avoid Trader Joe’s lines on Sunday evenings. But besides logistical convenience, being around all these ideas in startup land just makes me want to learn more. Call it an occupational hazard or a prerequisite, but either way, it is impossible to not be curious about things.

Which brings me to my latest foray into what previously kinda scared and annoyed me: institutional religion and its blind followers. In spite of that, religion is an academic topic that has fascinated me for a while, starting with a conversation I had with a classmate freshman year of college. Over lunch we discussed which majors we were to imminently declare: myself between psychology and music, and she between government, religion and sociology. “But Clara,” I said, “those 3 majors are completely different. How could you possibly fulfill the requirements for any one of those majors without wasting some part of this past year’s credits?” (Ah - throwback to a time when such things mattered. And why didn’t I ask myself that same question?) Anyway, as it turns out, there is a ton of overlap between the 3 disciplines, which laid the foundation for my ensuring academic quest for a better understanding.

I grew up not practicing / not belonging to any sort of organized religious group, but through various volunteer activities was exposed to bits and bobs of “religion”. Packing sandwiches for a soup kitchen run by Lutherans. That orphanage in India while living amongst Hindus. Picking up trash with Tzu Chi in Taiwan. Playing music at holiday concerts for the Maryknoll Sisters.

Last Sunday marked the third time I had ever attended church for no other purpose than listening to a tattooed guy preach (fyi- the pastor’s name is Carl Lentz, and he is amazing). And I have to say, for the first time, I could appreciate the message.

Without turning this post into some Bible study sermon deconstruction, the message was about needing “space” - maintaining margins in life that enable giving and helping and sharing. Without a healthy amount of anything beyond what is necessary, how can you - or anyone - afford to be present? To me, the beginner Christian (I actually don’t even know what denomination this church is - that’s how much labels don’t matter at this point), he wasn’t preaching, but rather delivering a commentary on the human condition. What was more- he also offered a solution, and ways to apply it all in the name of living a better life (including stuff that meant dedicating more to God, etc - I won’t get into that).

Believer or not, we can all benefit from some space and management of expectations. We all need to chill the f out once in a while and recognise the bigger picture when our minds start getting too crowded.

Of course, people with normal schedules are busy too but still manage to make time for church. For me, an outsider, it is a new interest requiring additional effort to catch up, for which I am finding myself happily setting aside time to dedicate. After all, it seems that there might be more practical sense in this whole religion thing beyond catchy songs…