Have you joined Theo’s bench club?
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“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).
Jim and I stop to sit on a bench almost every morning. It’s at the pond near our home. We love taking a few minutes to pause in our walk and enjoy the calm, the changing seasons, and the beauty of the sky above reflected in the water.
This morning we ran into our friend and her daughter. This friend and her husband actually placed the bench by the pond that the neighbors enjoy. As we talked,the subject of the very popular book, Theo of Golden came up. We have all read it and discussed the important role his bench had in the book.
That prompted the title of this article. Have you joined Theo’s bench club? It’s not a real club, but it’s one all of us should consider joining. Theo’s bench was essentially his place of ministry.
Theo of Golden
I hope all of you have discovered this book. Allen Levi’s first and only novel miraculously spent fourteen weeks in the number one slot on the New York Times bestseller list. Tom Hanks is apparently in discussions about playing Theo in an upcoming movie, which will likely bring it back to the number one slot. If you have been on a plane, in a waiting room, or walked by a park bench, you probably have noticed someone reading Theo of Golden. And no respectable book club has failed to include the title on their list of books to discuss.
But this article isn’t about the book’s popularity. (Although fair warning: If St. Peter really does meet us at the gate . . .he might ask if you have read it!) Just teasing, kind of.
This article is about Theo’s bench and about how each of us should consider finding our own.
What was the purpose of Theo’s bench?
Theo sat on his bench to:
- Watch the world go by and think about the culture around him
- To meditate on his purpose for the day
- To pray for and care about others
- To bless other people’s lives with a gift
- To enjoy the beauty of God’s creation
- To consider things other than himself
Do you have a place, a spot in this world that is designed to take your thoughts to a deeper place with God, a place that is about his purpose for your day, your gifts, and your ministry with others?
Are you a member of the bench club?
Our friend’s grandson is a priest in the Catholic faith. He has enjoyed benches all over the world. He has used benches in some amazing spots to think, pray, and pursue the deeper thoughts of life. I think he and my husband would get along well!
All of us will have moments in our lives when we hit a rough spot and pray to God with desperation, earnestness, and need. Those are important prayers, and God is pleased when we come to him during those times. But Paul taught us to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18).
Theo’s bench was a place he enjoyed each day, much like our bench at the pond. He sat there expecting that his life and the lives of others would be impacted.
To become a member of the bench club, you simply need to consistently pursue the presence and purpose of Christ in the moments of your daily life. How do we pursue Christ? We live constantly aware that Jesus has a purpose for our entire day. We live ready for Jesus to interrupt our thoughts with his. He wants to guide our lives and will bring people into our path whom he would like us to minister to, and who will often become ministers or blessings to us as well.
To become a member of the bench club is to find a place where you will choose to quiet your personal, self-focused thoughts and plans in order to be open to God’s instead.
Your bench club agenda each day:
- Watch the world go by and think about the cultural issues and needs of your community.
- Meditate on the Lord’s purpose for your day. Jeremiah 29:11 makes clear God has a plan.
- Pray for and care about others that happen by, and those you will need to seek out.
- Bless other people’s lives with something you can give, like a word of encouragement or help.
- Enjoy the beauty of God’s creation, and you will joyfully worship the Creator.
- Consider things other than yourself, and your faith, joy, and ministry will expand as a result.
Life’s a “bench”
My friend’s daughter said that, and I laughed out loud. Yes, I know it’s a take on another phrase. But shouldn’t we change that phrase if we can!
I decided to write about Theo of Golden again to encourage others to find their own bench. I honestly believe that this book will impact anyone who reads it. The reason for its enormous success is because God has blessed it in miraculous ways. It’s also a success because people who read it want to share it with their friends. This book didn’t have a huge marketing budget or sales plan. It was number one for all those weeks because of word of mouth.
Tom Hanks is an amazing actor and I will see the movie if it comes out. But the movie will be a shadow of the experience received by reading, thinking about, and remembering the words of the novel. Reading a book in the quiet of your life gives you the time to think about the words.
Thinking with God takes time and effort. Maybe it also takes a bench.
A goal
I think I want to take more notice of the benches in this world. Most of them were put in place for a reason. Someone thought it would be a good idea for people to stop, sit here, and think.
What if for the rest of our lives we made it a goal to notice the benches in this world? How would things change, and who would we speak to if we were to stop, pray, and then allow God to bring his plan and purpose into those moments? What if you found a bench that you chose to sit on most days with that purpose in mind? I think that choice would likely become one of your favorite decisions, too! I would love to welcome you to the bench club.
Life’s a bench . . .or at least it could be!
