The dance of life...

Every day I speak with people burdened by shame, fear, boredom, anger or resentment.  They know they are unhappy, but they are unable to set themselves free.  Henri Nouwen realized this in his own life and often referenced the agony it caused him - and how he learned to let go of it, too.  Two quotes in the small book, The Dance of Life, really spoke to me today:

+ First, Nouwen urges those who want to live a God-centered life to choose to seek the light amidst the darkness.  "I don't have to wait until all is well, rather I can celebrate every little hint of the Kingdom that is at hand.  This is a real discipline... and the reward for choosing joy is joy itself... (for) once you choose to claim the joy hidden in the midst of all suffering, life becomes a celebration.  Joy never denies the sadness, but transforms it into a fertile soil for more joy."

+ And second those of us who have been wounded must practice letting go of our identities that define us by our woes.  "You can indeed become attached to dark forces such as resentment and hatred. As long as you seek retaliation, you cling to your own past. Sometimes it seems as though you might lose yourself along with your revenge and hate - so you stand there with balled-up fists, closed off to the other who wants to heal."

Sometimes, Nouwen notes, we have to "step over our anger, our jealousy or our feelings of rejection" and truly move on.  "Shake the dust off your sandals" is how Jesus putt it to his disciples.  "The temptation is to get stuck in our negative emotions, poking around in them as if we belong there. Then we become the 'offended one' or the 'forgotten one' or even the 'discarded one.' Yes, we can get attached to these negative identities and even take morbid pleasure in them..." But we are people of the exodus - we may have to wander in the wilderness for a generation - but we have another destination that has to do with rest and abundance and grace.

Today in worship we shared Carrie Newcomer's "I Believe" and afterwards I asked the people "what did this song feel like?"  (Not what did you think about this song or did the message resonate with you; but rather what did the song - melody, harmony, rhythm and lyrics - feel like to you?)  People said, "Gentle - at rest - like a conversation about sweet ordinary things."  Both Jesus and Paul say much the same thing when it comes to trusting and living in God's grace:

+ Luke 12: 22-31:  He said to his disciples, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest?Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the nations of the world that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for his^* kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

+ Philippians 4: 4-8: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, beloved,whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Consider the alternative: Fear, anger, resentment, striving, busyness, shame and emptiness.  "Being filled-up but unfulfilled, being busy yet bored (and tired), being involved yet lonely, these are the symptoms of the absurd life."

(art from Deviant Art)