On The Other Hand

In the musical, "Fiddler On The Roof,"  Tevya displays a beautiful and very real relationship with God.  He carries on a conversation with God throughout the story saying, "Dear God, on the one hand....then on the other hand..."  In this way he prays through the various problems and decisions of his life, seeing both sides of the issue before making his choice.  Until his third daughter informs him that she is going to marry a Gentile, and he says to God, "There is no other hand."

How difficult, but at the same time how critical, it is to see all sides to any situation.  When making decisions concerning our life, whether personal, communal, political, ecclesial, business or whatever, it is so important to realize that there are various ways of looking at the question under discussion.

Many of the "hot button" issues of our world deserve discussing, airing all sides so that intelligent and informed decisions can be made.  Whether we are talking about involvement in war in Iraq or Afghanistan, tax cuts for this group or that, stem cell research, abortion, same sex marriage, the relation of Islam to terrorists, or whatever other concern you carry, there is a need to hold in depth discussions in order to grasp the full implications of all aspects of those issues.  Only when we have set aside our preconceived judgments and conclusions, entered into honest dialog under the guidance of the Spirit in an atmosphere of prayer can we hope to arrive at some sort of peace and harmony in our torn world.  Maybe, in some cases, like Tevya, we will come to the conclusion that "there is no other hand".  But that cannot be the starting place.

If this season of Christmas shows us anything, it is that God will go to any extreme to bring forgiveness, peace and healing to our broken world.  But God needs our consent and cooperation to get it accomplished at this time in history.

Serenity Prayer

In a previous reflection, I wrote about My Dad. The Serenity Prayer was his favorite prayer. It is also one that has occupied my attention frequently in the last few months. We have a beautiful cross-stitch framed rendition of this hanging on the wall in our apartment. It was a gift from a friend in south Texas. So I thought that I would post a meditation on that prayer today.

The prayer is very simple. It goes as follows:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
the courage to change the things I can,
and the wisdom to know the difference.

God, grant me (in other words, God, I recognize that I cannot do this on my own. This is something that you need to do for me, in me. I cannot give myself anything because everything comes from you. I certainly cannot give myself the life that I want or desire. Please, Lord, grant me...)

Serenity (I mean that peacefulness of heart that doesn't get shook up by every passing wind or whim. This is that calmness that is deep within, that is not dependent on the approval of others, the rise or fall of the stock market, the mood swings of others or myself, or the weather reports or forecast. God, this is the "peace that is beyond all understanding".)

To accept (not just put up with, not just grin and bear it, not just grit my teeth and wait for it to be over. But really allow it to be without fighting against it, without getting angry or frustrated, without letting it drain my energies.)

The things I cannot change (Oh my, are there ever so many parts of this world that I cannot change: the weather, the attitudes and prejudices of others, the price of groceries or gas, the behavior of my spouse, family or friends, not to mention my neighbors or strangers. This list could go on and on...limited only by my imagination.)

The courage (it really does take courage because of all the resistance that I will run into. This is not for the faint-hearted.) to change the things I can. (Sometimes it is easier to just let things go the way they are going. To really stand up and try to change the status quo is threatening to anyone who has a vested interest in the way things are right now. I remember my Mother saying to me in the past "Someone should really do/say something about that...." When I responded, "Why don't you do something since you noticed it", she was a bit taken aback. However, after a while, she began to DO something. It is not easy to actually confront the realities of our everyday existence and effect change. Sometimes problems and situations seem overwhelming. Frustration with our inability to accomplish REAL change also leads us to give up after a while. So there is a real need for the courage to keep plugging along.)

And the wisdom to know the difference (It does take wisdom, which in the biblical understanding is right doing, right action based upon discernment. Only a truly wise person can distinguish between the battles that need to be fought and those that are a waste of time and energy. So many times I find myself expending energy on issues or problems that are going nowhere. Lord, give me the wisdom I need to tell the difference between those things that you want me to bury myself in, and those that either belong to someone else, or are not worth the effort.)

As I continue to reflect on this prayer, I see the great freedom there is in being able to live it on a day to day basis. How much more energy and life I would have available if I could only enflesh this prayer in my heart and mind.

Which of the parts of this prayer do you find most easy for you? Which is the most difficult? Where do you want to go from here?

Under The Circumstances

A friend greeted me recently: "So, how are you doing?" Says I: "Pretty good under the circumstances." Without hesitation he responded: "What are you doing under there?"

After picking myself up off the floor, I began to reflect on what he was saying to me. Do I let situations and circumstances dictate how I am feeling? Am I controlled by what is going on around me, by what others do or don't do? Does something so simple as the weather affect my outlook and attitude for the day?

Or do I truly operate out of the center of my own being, out of the belief that God is in charge and therefore I am at peace. Does my equanimity reflect my trust in an all-powerful and all-loving God? Another friend said to me many years ago: "If you believe that Jesus is Lord, then an earthquake shouldn't shake you up!" I guess that even applies to a hurricane!

Many times I know this in my head, but it's my stomach that has a hard time catching up. Often my belief has to sink down from my head into my heart so that I can really be at peace, even though the circumstances are threatening to overwhelm me. I'm reminded of my friend, Greg, who says: "When you are up to your waist in alligators, it's hard to remember that you came in to drain the swamp."

What are your circumstances today? Are you under them, or on top of them? Where do you want to be?