Brian’s Reflection: Tuesday, May 22, 2012

I have always believed that it's important

to show a new look periodically.

Predictability can lead to failure.

T. Boone Pickens, oil tycoon;

he was born on this date, 1928, at Holdenville, OK

 I “love” the word “tycoon”! I wonder if there is such a thing as a “spiritual tycoon” ??

I wonder:  does Thomas Boone Pickens have a “spiritual” life? I don’t have time to research it, alas.

So: first, I would “quarrel” with the word “”show”. “Show” is never authentic. Our politicians these  days are “putting on a lot of show” … pretending to care. But they don’t care … not about the American people … though I hope that Obama does. If he doesn’t, he’s really betrayed us, the American people. I think our major problem in America today is that (and this is a “spiritual” issue) Power has become the modern God … in the Bible myth,  Power is called Satan. As I understand the Gospel, the Path that leads to Holiness, to “fullness of humanity”, is Love … and Love is always Service. Loving Service was Jesus’ Way … He washed the feet of His disciples and said “Do Likewise”. The Path that we are called to comprehend is (a) God loves us (b) we love ourselves as God loves us and (c) we love others because it makes us wholly ourselves … and that cycle brings Peace and Justice and Kindness.

“Predictability can lead to failure” says Pickens. I think he is bang on. Predictability infers an unwillingness to Change … and Change is the signpost of Growth. Remaining static means, spiritually, Death.

Of course we humans resist Change. It’s apparently a human “thing”. I’ve embraced Change enthusiastically all my Life … and it has brought me Growth and Life.

An example of the difficulty?  The Episcopal Church has changed it’s Book of Common Prayer many times since 1776. Do you know that the man “in charge” of the BCP change process for the 1979 BCP received countless letters of death threats and violence? True! Which indicates to me that being willing to change is clearly perhaps the primary tool of spiritual growth. If we cannot change, we cannot grow, and therefore we become tools of everything that is contrary to the Gospel. Success in Living is Change … growing. Remember the words of that lovely hymn?:  “Three things I pray … To see Thee more clearly, Love thee more dearly, Follow Thee more nearly, Day by Day”.

I wake up every day rejoicing that I am who I am … and literally thrilled by the possibility of Changing. Everyone who chooses to marry/commit to another understands this! A partner is primarily an invitation to learn and change and grow … to transcend the box we’ve become imprisoned in and grow in our humanity … by learning to serve and to understand another human being … and thus be freed to deepen our humanity.

Our goal? Have a “new look” every day.

Brian+