I would like to think that
I’m a “glass is half full” kind of guy…someone who is consistently able to see
and celebrate the gifts and resources that we already have at our disposal for
whatever task is in front of us. But…truth be told…I’m just as likely to
perceive the glass as half empty. Way
more often than I care to admit, I find myself agonizing over how little we
seem to have or how underequipped we are.
I don’t think this is always a bad thing; it’s a good idea to be realistic
about what you possess. But the problem: it can be a pretty short leap from
there to a kind of paralysis which stifles both creativity and courage.
Two things in the past
several days have challenged me on this. The first was a wonderful sermon (and
follow-up presentation) by the Rev. John Edgar at our recent synod assembly. His work with the Church
for All People in Columbus, Ohio, is
a wonderful testimony to what can be achieved by simply starting with the gifts
God has already given. The second was a
re-reading of 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 in preparation for last night’s Bible study here at Grace. I was struck not only by Paul’s ability to
set-up his argument with the Corinthians, but by his theology of
abundance. He gives thanks for God’s
grace that has enriched the Corinthians so that they are “not lacking in any
spiritual gift.” How interesting. Paul doesn’t start by enumerating their
deficiencies (and they are many); he begins by praising God for all that the
Corinthians already possess.
It may seem like a little
thing…or that we are only arguing semantics.
But I’m beginning to understand that the distinction between “half full”
and “half empty” is not little at all. The
unquenchable yearning for what we don’t already have is, in fact, a huge
problem in our culture as well as in the church, if for no other reason than
that it sets us up for the easy psychological move to victimhood…lamenting our
unfulfilled desires, denied rights and burgeoning entitlements. Recognizing and giving thanks for what we
already have, however, opens our eyes to opportunities, and empowers us to work
with those gifts for the betterment of the world around us in whatever way we
can.
Like a lot of mainline
Christian congregations, the one I serve has been through some challenging
times the past several years…and we’re not out of the woods yet. Disagreements
on social issues and a lousy economy have put a real strain on us. But never along
this hard road have we been abandoned by God. Never are we without the
resources we need to make a difference for Christ in our communities. In every
way, we have been enriched in Christ Jesus (to paraphrase Paul). The challenge
is simply to see and then employ what we have…and to recognize that it is
enough already.
