Once Harold Kushner (rabbi/writer) was on a book tour. While touring the country he learned something very important. Almost everywhere he traveled he met people, store clerks, reporters, photographers, who told him that the most inspiring religious experience he or she had undergone happened not in a church service but in the fellowship hall at an AA gathering or a meeting of some other 12 Step Program.
Kushner asked if they could identify specifically what it was that helped them most and, to the person, they said they felt accepted and non-judged at these meetings. They felt the opposite when listening to sermons preached from so many pulpits. Why is it that the 12 Step Program “gets it” when it comes to grace and so many churches don’t?
According to the 12 Step Program, the good news is this: “I’m not ok, and you’re not ok, but that’s ok.” That’s exactly the message the Apostle Paul proclaims in Romans 8 when he says “Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus?’ One of the best bumper stickers I have ever seen was this: GOD LOVES YOU ANYWAY.
There’s a little book called THE MISSING PIECE by Shel Silverstein that helps me understand grace in the way that 12 Step Programs understand grace. In the story a circle is missing a piece–a large triangular wedge and, wanting to be whole, perfect, with nothing missing, the circle sets out looking for its missing piece.
But because it was incomplete, imperfect, it could only roll very slowly as it rolled through the world. As it rolled slowly, it admired the flowers along the way, chatted with the butterflies, and enjoyed the sunshine. On its journey it found lots of pieces, but none of them fit. Some were too big and some were too small. Some were too square and some were too pointy.
So the circle left them all by the side of the road and kept on searching. Then one day it found the piece that fit perfectly. The circle was so happy because it could be perfect with nothing missing. It incorporated the missing piece into itself and began to roll. And, since it was a “perfect” circle, it could roll very fast, too fast to notice the flowers, to talk to the butterflies, or to enjoy the sunshine.
The world became very different, so unlike it used to be, not as fulfilling, not as challenging, not as wonderful. Could it be, dear friends, that in some strange way, life is better when we are incomplete? More “perfect” in our imperfection? Could it be?
God promises that his power is made perfect in our weakness. That’s why the Apostle Paul brags, “I delight in weaknesses, in insults, and hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties, for when I am weak, then I am strong” (II Corinthians 12:10).
When we recognize that we have lost part of ourselves and can continue rolling through life and appreciating it, embracing it, celebrating it, we will achieve a wholeness, a perfection, that only God can give. Glory be to the God who invades our imperfection with his perfect love.
Richard Hipps
Everyone seems to feel they must rush, rush, hurriedly through life, missing most of the beauty around them. No one it seems wants to take the back roads where they would see, if they weren’t in such a hurry, the many blessings God bestows on us every day. Commune with nature, see how the small birds live and enjoy their daily lives even though there is always a threat of a hawk or snake or the neighborhood cat. The birds lookout for each other. Humans used to do that in the “olden” days; now we seem to be too busy to care.
Tues is our no electronics family nite. For almost a year we have held it in place. Pick a day, find a puzzle or play pictionary. Take care.