Blog - Peter Keady

It’s 2:11 in the morning, April 5, 2020 and stepping outside it’s the same now as it was just-around-ten yesterday evening - eerily quiet. Except for the distant hum of an industrial generator and the waterfall in our pond - nothing. Absolutely. Nothing. And it’s glorious! I’ve had this writing bouncing around in my head for weeks since the “stay at home” order was announced for Northampton County, Pa. I’ve wanted to address a concern in the midst of the Covid-19 disruption. I know many people are anxious over many things - even before the pandemic; we are a very worried-centered culture.

We’ve been wrestled to a halt by genetic material measured in nanometers, that’s one-billionth of a meter! The world is forced to rest - ceasing from its lust for faster, better, greater. And I’m concerned we won’t learn one dang thing about the inhuman pace we’ve been keeping for far too long.

A few years ago my wife and I changed the rhythm of our lives, just a wee bit. It came at a great cost for me, but it was extremely necessary and life-altering. We didn’t have to make the change, it wasn’t health-based. But in the end, it was. We decided to return to our ancient, human roots of Sabbath. Taking one, 24-hour period of time to cease from all work, paid or unpaid. We set boundaries so we wouldn’t become legalistic and miss the positive impact Sabbath is supposed to have. We play, love, cook, read, walk, talk, nap, breathe in deeply, love nature, engage creation, fellowship with friends, worship, sing, dance, create and do just about anything restorative we can during our Sabbath. We’ve now come to a point where instead of the day off being a desperate resting from our work, the six days of work are born out of our rest. And all seven are oh-so-much more glorious! I can’t even tell you how it’s revolutionized our vacations!

What if every so often the entire population just shut down, pulling the plug on the rat race machine and taking a huge, deep breath?

Some are reporting the positive impact this virus-induced ceasing is having on nature. My wife told me about the lowered seismic noise our screeching-to-a-halt has fostered. Waters are clearer. The air is cleaner. I bet fish are happier! What if once or twice a month, or dare I suggest once a week, everything just shut down? How could life and this planet benefit? What if you each decided to take one day a week - pick one, I really don’t care which, and ceased all work, all striving, devoting the hours to honoring life - all life - starting with yours? How could your living be impacted?

I speak from personal experience, we’re slaves to the work, work, work, performance-driven world and we’re missing out on so much! My concern is this, nothing will change. Nothing! When the virus is under control, the pattern of the world we’ve carved for ourselves will take center stage and we’ll be subject to our own idolatrous futility, yet again, like a dog returning to its vomit. But I won’t and you don’t have to, either.

I’ve written a lot about the benefits of Sabbath. You can do a search of my blogs and read some more. I am praying many eyes and hearts will be open as we battle against Covid-19. I’m praying people will wake up from their drive for better, faster, stronger and realize there’s a Sabbath-sized hole in their lives and it’s killing us.

This is written during the CoVid19 pandemic. Where people are panicking and hoarding, of all things, toilet paper. Pretty crazy, but true.

I’m not surprised, not one bit! I was going to write a follow up to last week’s post, America’s 9mm Heart Problem, titled, Walkout, Walkup, however, upon hearing the news from across the pond, I had to switch gears without clutching (most probably don’t know what that means). Grinding to a halt on my part two, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to make a point. Or, to put it in other words, “I told you so!”

In last week’s post, America’s 9mm Heart Problem, I concluded that resolving violence wouldn’t be achieved by confiscating guns nor staunchly upholding the Second Amendment. I submitted the problem would only be checked by healing the gravely wounded heart. Many are fighting for greater gun control without acknowledging a biblical truth, The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? The writer, Jeremiah, a Hebrew prophet, posed this question in chapter 17, verse 9 as he lived in exile during the Babylonian captivity of Israel. The subsequent verse is GOD’s response. He states, 

I know many don’t like religious or even spiritual answers to cultural problems. And I’m not ramming my view down anyone’s throat, just offering what I believe - from personal experience - to be the only efficacious solution to human ills. If there’s any stopping gun violence or any violence, it must incorporate the acknowledgment that humans are in need of a spiritual revival of supernatural initiation. I didn’t think I needed to elaborate.

Then, like a bolt of lighting confirming the warning brought by rolling thunder before a storm, news from London, England, flashed across headlines! London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, is calling for stricter knife laws after a record number of deaths due to stabbings in 2017; a total of 80. The horrific reality is there have already been 50 homicides by knifing in 2018! London is out of control!

Knives. A section of my collection that hangs above my work desk. I like knives. I have a few from around the world. They tell stories. They're tools. Unless handled by a dark heart.

Do you see the irony? England already has ultra-strict gun regulations. Even their Bobbies patrol unarmed. For years the number of times police fired a gun was in single digits! But even with this firearm-free approach, there’s still violence. Imagine that! Some psychologists suggest killing with a knife is far more nefarious than with a gun; you have to get much closer! Knives require a level of personal evil, intrusion, and intent wholly different than firearms. That’s intense!

So, do you really think violence is an armament issue? Do you still believe taking away guns and knives will stop the horror? It won’t, I guarantee it. Why? Because as much as we might not want to embrace the truth, Jeremiah had it right - the heart is dark and in need of healing. Who can change it? Only the One who searches the heart, God! Take away guns and we’ll use knives. Take away knives and we’ll use bats. Take away bats and we'll find something else to use, a pen perhaps?

This darkness isn’t unique to shootings and stabbings. No, it infects every thought in our mind, every word from our mouth. Jesus stated it succinctly, from the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. This corruption is displayed on social media every day! From POTUS and preteens, women and men, old and young. It’s a catastrophic affliction infecting everyone. Every. Single. Person.

It’s easy to blame an object, it takes the culpability off of personal responsibility and negates God’s command to love others as we love ourselves. But we don’t love ourselves very well - I’ll get to that topic in a few weeks.

So, although I don’t believe everyone is responsible enough to own a firearm or a knife for that matter, I have no way of removing the darkness from people’s hearts, a far worse societal enemy than a bullet. The next time you hear of an act of violence, whether with guns, knives, shoes, rocks or words, instead of shaking your head in disgust or making a protest sign, stop and ask yourself this question, “How dark is my heart?” Then listen carefully, the answer is frightening!

Growing up, I lived on a small farm complete with all sorts of tools for the trade. Wire cutters, come-alongs, pinch bars and wrenches. My father was very protective of his tools, and I was weaned onto them slowly, out of concern for myself and the equipment. I remember one day trying to use an adjustable wrench as a hammer, turning it sideways and striking a nail and then my finger. As I wailed in pain, my quick-to-respond-father snatched the Craftsman away from me, chiding, “See! I told you not to use it that way! If you can’t use it correctly, you won’t use it at all.” It was months before I was allowed anywhere near the toolbox. My view on guns has shifted over the years and, right now, is the same as my father’s for his tools, they're needed and necessary but improper use will get you barred.

I can’t imagine a society without the need for protecting innocents from violence, although I desperately want to. Why? Because I 100% believe there’s evil in this world. Years in journalism, decades in pastoral ministry and now serving as a Police Chaplain, have refined my understanding of good, bad and evil. And just like there are tools for the farm, there are tools to combat oppression. Even the anti-gun establishment doesn’t practice what it preaches. The irony in the March For Our Lives protest still makes me grin; armed police were protecting anti-gun protestors at rallies around the country. Let's admit it, as hard as it may be; guns are necessary, but there’s a growing number of people who are incapable of responsibly possessing a firearm. But this reality begs the question: Why? Why is this a mounting problem? Why does America seem to be losing its gourd over guns?

As I write, new information surfaces from the shooting of three employees at YouTube headquarters in California. California! One of two states, Connecticut being the second, with the strictest gun laws in the country. And even with these strict regulations, a seemingly disturbed woman did what’s becoming commonplace. She got a gun and started shooting. These events were rare when I was growing up. I never once went to school with the fear of being shot at, and guns were everywhere! So, even with strict gun laws, people in their dysfunction will find a way, wreaking havoc.

It’s myopic and naive to believe that if all guns were banned, all guns would disappear halting the violence. This thinking is in the same camp as unicorns and Leprechaun gold. There are times when violence must be met with violence, as uncomfortable as this is for many to hear. Serving as Police Chaplain I know of no officer wanting to discharge his firearm, but they will if they must. The liberation of concentration camp prisoners in World War II required the use of violence. The crucifixion of Jesus is evidence that love, yes even love, sometimes requires a violent act to overcome and defeat evil.

Protestors and counter protestors stand off in Centre Square, Easton, Pa during the March For Our Lives event on March 24, 2018 ©Peter Keady 2018 - All Rights Reserved

It comes down to this, banning guns may resolve the issue temporarily, but it won’t solve the problem. It’s like putting new tires on a misaligned car. Eventually, you’re right back to where you started, and possibly worse. And, then there’s that ubiquitous little document called the Constitution and all those subsequent amendments in place for a reason, keeping checks on oppression and tyranny. “Malarky!” you say? “Australia did it!” you scream. But not so fast. We're in America, not Australia, a completely different cultural attitude and history regarding guns. I suggest you check out the recent NY Times article wonderfully dismantling this oft-heard argument. It’s titled, Australia’s Gun Laws Are Not a Model for America, and guess what, it’s written by an Australian!

When people are unable to defend themselves, which is an individual’s right, the propensity for oppression multiplies. The Bill of Rights were enumerated, specifically, so there wouldn’t be a misunderstanding on specific topics. The Amendments cover overarching principles, not cultural specifics. Why, suddenly, would the Second Amendment be outdated in 2018 but the remaining 26 still valid? Is the Second Amendment the awkward child of the Constitution? I think not. But America’s sickness creates a bullseye on the right to bear arms unjustly.

Granted, some Americans worship at the altar of firearms - acolytes of Smith and Wesson and Remington. On the flip side, many choose to ignore the lessons of history while marginalizing the foundational documents of our country. Both are misguided and ill-focused.

So, what’s the answer? It’s not simple. It isn’t banning firearms nor allowing unrestricted access to any and every gun and accessory we can dream up. It is, in my opinion, the caring for and healing of broken hearts with a more effectual God than the Second Amendment. And it isn’t sliding into humanistic socialism with the relinquishing of individual rights in the name of security. In Jesus, we’re called to surrender ourselves to Him while loving others authentically, just as we love ourselves. But we hate ourselves; what we are, what we aren’t; constantly comparing. Humanistic wisdom won’t solve this deeply embedded bullet of personal pain and egoistic pride. Only faith in a loving God moved to action in loving others will. Only loving God and loving people can rescue America from its 9mm heart problem.

For an excellent article on the same topic from a different perspective, please check out Dr. Michael Pittaro’s recently published work, A Theoretical Explanation for the Increase in School Shootings.

For some interesting statistics on America’s gun infatuation, check out this link, Gun Ownership in America in Three Charts.

This podcasts suggests that while sexual harassment is inexcusable, it's part of the sex culture we embrace. You can't hate one and love the other.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the need for allowing Jesus access to every part of our lives, and therefore receiving the full measure of His grace-filled life. Often, Jesus doesn’t work because we cordon off the sacred areas of our souls; what’s most needing His healing. Since God is a gentleman, not forcing His will or ways on us, we do not reap the full fruit of His passion. Then, treating Jesus more like a vending machine than the Almighty God, we conclude He doesn’t work, and we move on.

But it’s not that simple. I've seen seasoned Christians exasperated because Jesus wasn't performing for them, like their stock portfolio. So, I want to address another facet of our lives potentially causing a bottleneck for an effective life in God. Like the first, it’s not very popular and, to be honest, when you realize how basic this is you’ll probably put palm to forehead for the proverbial Dumb Slap. Admittedly, we can be pretty dull bulbs at times. I mean, how often do we ignore a life lesson, marching around the same mountain again and again and again? I know I’ve worn out a few sets of emotional Nikes! I want to return to the Bible passage I referenced in the first posting When Jesus Doesn't Work. It’s packed with all kinds of good stuff.

Faulting the young man for walking away is easy. And, congratulating Jesus for calling out the significant issues in the man’s life - a lust for wealth and prosperity and an unwillingness to surrender - is also obvious. But there’s a life practice the young man aces. Obedience. Notice Jesus doesn’t chastise the man for the question, and He certainly doesn’t give an esoteric answer. But what this passage does affirm is this, obedience to the clear teachings of God always precurses a call to the deeper life in Jesus.

The Jewish man is looking for life beyond this life - the crux of Jesus’s earthly purpose. “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?” “Obey the commandments,” Jesus responds. Badda Bing, Badda Boom! Disobeying the basics can disqualify us from participating in the treasured riches of the Kingdom. And they always come at a cost! I know I’ve often sought a richer intimacy or revelation of Jesus only to be halted by disobedience. Now, to be clear, God’s blessings fall on the pious and the putrid, on the good and the bad. Scripture says, “…He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Matthew 5:45b So, we have to be careful not to live presumptively, thinking blessings indicate acceptance or difficulties point to rejection.

A few years ago, as therapy, I tore apart and rebuilt into a bobber a 1986 Suzuki 650. Getting it apart was easy! Putting it together again, with fewer pieces, not as easy. I had to follow the basic instructions in order to get it to work! Bike in front is my 2007 Victory Vegas 8ball.

When I was in ninth grade, I had an excellent English teacher, Mr. Reich. He knew his stuff and was serious about teaching. On one particular day, I was goofing around in the back of the class, being disruptive, doing stupid stuff.  He called me out, loudly! Being a good Catholic boy, I quickly chirped, “I’m sorry.” hopefully covering my indiscretion. But it didn’t. Much to my humiliation, in front of the entire class, Mr. Reich growled, “Don’t be sorry, just don’t do it again.” Wow! I wasn’t expecting that! But he was right. Don’t say you’re sorry, just obey the stated rules! It was an amazingly embarrassing moment as the rest of the class gawked as witnesses, but it taught me incredibly valuable life and spiritual lessons. Biblically stated, obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22).

When you’re frustrated in prayer, fed up with life, when Jesus just doesn’t seem to work, take a moment from your tantrum and tears and survey your life. Ask yourself the hauntingly probing question, “Am I being obedient to the basics of what God has called me to be or do?” Doing this, I’ve put my palm to forehead, realizing Jesus does work! It's not his fault, I’m just not being obedient!

There’s a wound in the human heart that isn’t self-healing producing anxiety, broken relationships, and damaged lives. In scope, it’s a pandemic severely infecting America. It’s making us violent beyond compare. And in the fallout, more lives are shattered as bystanders offer up prayers. Yet, I was graphically reminded recently that prayers alone don't change a bad situation. Action must be taken.

Last week, in reflecting on the Las Vegas shooting, I wrote that our societal problem is systemic, reaching beyond black steel and plastic to the heart of humanity. I gambled that the media and social chatter wouldn’t address the issue accurately. Rather, the scapegoats became inanimate objects capable of absolutely nothing other than collecting dust if left to themselves. And, after a week, I must say, I was spot on.

Bump stocks, automatic firearms, and assault rifles stole the lion share of the headlines over hurting souls twisted with grief, emotional pain, and loneliness. To be clear, I'm not advocating support for any firearm or Second Amendment in this post. And, I’m not a mental health worker, but this is my educated, well-experienced opinion. Nearly two decades of engaging people and observing, first hand, our societal decline serves as the foundation of this post.

The leaf of a Pin Oak in central Pennsylvania lay on black asphalt, highlighted by fresh rain. Life is fragile and temporal. We must take every step we can to foster healing in the broken human heart.

Years ago I was part of an extended family in a small church. The congregants were real, raw and a bit rowdy at times. One guy attended services with his pants still wet from wading in a trout stream earlier that morning. Chit-chat chatter could be heard during the sermon, too. But it was home. It was comfortable. But for some, it was still a lonely place.

A man sat on the end pew, just inside the center aisle. Thoughts and words shot across his mind as he wondered if anyone even noticed his presence; quiet, unassuming. But this particular day he sat entertaining a darker thought. A consideration too frightening for words. Then, out of nowhere, a hand touched his shoulder as the pastor made his way toward the platform. No words exchanged. No smiles traded. Just a touch, seemingly meaningless to the reverend, it held the gift of life to the man. Darkness parted like Moses through the Red Sea. And as quickly as steam from boiling water disappears, so too, did the man’s dark thoughts.

After years of interacting with people from all walks of life, from crack-smoking homeless men in Kensington, Philadelphia, to multimillion-dollar earning professionals, there’s one thing I've determined the human heart craves, belonging. It's why teens endure humiliation to be part of a gang. Why some tolerate abuse and neglect in relationships. We are designed for community and will even foster unhealthy companionship in achieving it. Without connection, the soul of a person withers and dies and in death the darker kind of brokenness emerges. A brokenness resulting in shots fired from windows, road rage on the turnpike, domestic violence, and school-yard bullying. I can’t say it’s always easily fixed with a touch on the shoulder, but it can be.

I don’t want to spiritualize or simplify this serious topic; neglecting it has already tallied its victims. Saying a relationship with Jesus will fix it all doesn’t cut it. Too many Jesus-following people sit in church week after week with crushed countenances. Smiling on the outside while grimness eats away on the inside, longing for personal interaction. No, this has to be a flesh-to-flesh experience. Yes, I do believe only Jesus can truly heal a broken heart to its fullness. However, Jesus called us to do two things - love God with all we are, 100%, and love our neighbors as we truly love ourselves. Can you imagine what the world, our neighborhoods and our homes would look like if we turned our narcissistic, self-centered love outward?

When reading the Bible, I’m fascinated by the accounts of Jesus touching people. He touched lepers, people with parts of their bodies falling off. He touched prostitutes and allowed them to caress him, anointing him with perfume. He embraced the sick, downtrodden and demonized. He. Touched. People. We have to do the same.

I don’t expect this changing everything overnight. In fact, I think we’re beyond the tipping point. Texting, FaceBook, Twitter and a multitude of other media platforms have become poor substitutes for face-to-face human interaction. I watch, week after week, high school students sitting around tables completely quiet while texting. But when the proverbial effluent hits the rotating blades, Twitter won’t reach out and touch someone. It's not hopeless. We can slow the progress of the vial plague of broken hearts.

I recently heard this little fact, the number one reason why people stay at a job isn’t due to substantial pay or fantastic bosses, no, it’s whether or not they have a workplace buddy. Having a “work wife” or “work spouse” is the main reason people stay at a job. The workplace longevity for most people is about connection, not the contract! Confiding in, share joys and sorrows with another person cements feet to the ground in ways high salaries and supportive managers cannot. I think this is where most failed marriages collapse, the couple ceases - or never began - to share simple intimacies. Sure they have five kids, but the foundational idea of being connected at the human level never took root.

So, now what? Where do we go from here? It starts very simply with one person, you! Find someone and share a cup of coffee, a lunchtime sandwich, a water cooler conversation. Open door policies don't work! Go beyond yourself, reaching out to someone near you, speaking face-to-face. Put down the cell phone, take out the ear buds, and connect with humanity. Sure, it’ll be scary, but it’s one step toward healing a broken heart, that may just be yours.

Check out these recent links on the same topic. 

I had another blog ready for this week, the second part to last week’s, “When Jesus Doesn’t Work.” But what happened in Las Vegas didn’t stay in Las Vegas and has me more concerned than ever. I have a lot to say, but I’m going to keep this brief. This blog won’t assuage the pain or erase the horror experienced by those at the Route 91 Harvest Festival. And I’m hesitant because I don’t want to capitalize on the abject evil as many politicians have. My hope is we’ll look long and hard at ourselves, examining and addressing the motives of our hearts. Yeah, this isn’t going to be easy.

It’s effortless to watch the news and cringe, hearing over and over again the sounds as bullets shower 20,000 people. But it’s excruciatingly difficult to find a dark, quiet corner, evaluating our own lives. So, instead, we simply become numb to our brokenness, feeling good about ourselves because let’s face it, we would never do what he did, would we? Maybe not. But God’s standards don’t release us from the hook swiftly.

And in numbness, this acceptance of it’s-just-how-it-is brokenness, we continue to produce more broken people. I learned a long time ago that we only produce after our kind; cows give birth to cows, rabbits birth rabbits, brokenness bears more brokenness. Is there ever an end? Do we believe broken hearts can produce healthy, whole people? A hurting, fractured man took lives and his pain reproducing, like rabbits.

This Gerbera Daisy produced double headed blossoms on a single stem all summer long. None of our other plants bloomed like this, only this one. It couldn't help but produce what was in its DNA. We're no different! We only produce after out kind; broken hearts producing broken hearts, unless...

One of the reasons I follow Jesus and not another are the promises the Bible offers in the way of healing and wholeness completely disconnected from my efforts. No other faith offers this. Apart from our human works, the Bible presents a painting of a God who heals, restores and provides. It displays an image of a God who mourns and weeps for the innocent. But just like any other gift, we have to embrace him, otherwise, our lives will never change.

Psalm 34 verse 18 reads this way, “The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” And there are passages upon passages where God reveals his tenderness towards and connection with the broken. Jesus displayed the qualities and characteristics of a holy God, lifting the hurting and alleviating their pain.

One day Jesus took the scroll of Isaiah and found this place where he read.

Jesus intentionally selected this passage and claimed it for himself! He purposefully announced himself as the healer, the rescuer, and the savior. We can reject Jesus for all sorts of reasons, but this fact remains, wrestling with his historically pinned presence is essential. In Jesus, we trade our brokenness for wholeness. Until then, all of us are susceptible to heinous acts of violence, overt or subtle.

You can be religious and broken. You can call yourself a Christian, a pastor, a bishop and still broken. It's not about a title, it's about a connection with the life-changing Jesus. Without submitting to the life-changing power of the Spirit of Jesus, nothing changes. You can put a Maserati emblem on a Ford, but you're still stuck with a Ford.

Why do we expect people to live whole lives without being transformed on the inside? The value of Jesus is about the gifts he’s offering to us who are willing to surrender our tainted lives for his healing.

Confronting the darkness of our own lives, this is the harder and deeper work. The only One who can change hearts is Jesus. Until we surrender, allowing Him unmitigated entrance into the crevasses of our lives, superficial Band-Aids will have to do, but we’ll still have broken hearts.

I’ve been doing a lot of contemplation about my early days in light of today. Transformed, mostly through difficulty, hardship, and tears, I’m a bit different than when I was 16. And although my life after believing in Jesus wasn’t smooth and straightforward, I’ve become even more committed to the call of God on my life. But many haven’t. What’s the difference between me and those who’ve said, “I tried Jesus, but he didn’t work?” Why have I experienced jaw-dropping supernatural movements while others skipped off to another faith, philosophy or just became agnostic? I think there’s a great example in the Gospel of Matthew.

Bits and pieces of a Suzuki 650 I worked on a few years ago. Lots of things didn't work, at first...

If we examine Believers in the New Testament, we find them approaching Jesus differently than most of us today. Those who were desperate (Matthew 9:20-21), or hurting (John 11:21), or rejected (John 8:3-11) shared a common thread from the same cloth in their clinging to Jesus. For these people, Jesus “worked,” and He was the only one who did. Not because He worked “for them,” but because of the common thread.

What is required for Jesus to work? Well, it’s not a very pleasant idea in today’s culture. It’s viewed as a negative, a weakness, a crutch. But the key to accessing the power of the Kingdom of God looks like surrender.

Jesus words to the young man were the call to surrender - everything. “Go, sell everything you have, give it to the poor, and then follow me.” It’s what Peter, James, and John did with their fishing nets. It’s what Matthew did with his tax collecting business. It’s what the woman caught in adultery did when she was ripped from the bedroom, most likely naked. They allowed Jesus complete access to the entirety of their lives, extreme vulnerability, and sacrifice. And He worked! All of them, to the person, surrendered.

The necessity of allowing Jesus full access to our life, unrestricted vulnerability, is a key to having Jesus work. He doesn’t force upon us the gifts of the Kingdom of God: humility, kindness, faithfulness, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, and love. Rather, just like the young man, He offers truth, extending requests to follow. More often than not we’re just like the young man. We reject the deeper work of the Spirit of God for temporal happiness and pleasure. God is more like our vending machine - a prayer in and response out. But if what we get is not what want or we get nothing at all, we think something is jammed or broken. So, having lost our $1 petition, we conclude “Jesus doesn’t work,” and we move on.

But this isn’t the way of Jesus.

No, Jesus is the master operator when it comes to knowing who we are. He’s better than our hearts, able through both the written word and the inspection of the Holy Spirit, to cut to the depths of our hearts and motives bringing correction, healing, and wholeness. He ferrets out the unclean from the pure, renewing the broken, encouraging new growth and life.

Yes, I believe, I know Jesus works. The question is, will we let Him?

Jesus working is not simplistic, and we're more valuable than spiritual platitudes. The complexity of people’s lives encroaches on the abundant life Jesus offers. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be addressing what’s needed for Jesus to work. If there’s an aspect you’d like me to unwrap during this time, please let me know.

A long time ago a gentleman, concerned about my well-being and workload, asked me if I had “margin” in my life. I remember kind of cocking my head to one side and saying, “No, not much”. However, I didn’t really understand what he was talking about. I’d heard of margins on pieces of paper - Junior High English class came in handy for that. But I didn’t know precisely what he was getting at. As I look back now, I have a suspicion that he saw something in me I was unaware of then, but am now.

A few weeks ago I was rototilling my garden and I was thinking about the question the gentleman had asked me. With many, many years between that question and my current tilling, with a Sabbatical, Sabbath practice and lots of reading, my understanding of “margin” had changed. And just as my mind had wandered to English papers way back then, it went to the same place now. I thought, “Can you imagine someone writing a letter with no margins - with type crammed to the edge?” I laughed to myself as the tiller chugged away rattling my body.

Healthy margins make life more enjoyable!

After finishing my chore, I cleaned off and went inside the house as my wife had come home from work. Time with my wife is now of utmost importance to me. She’s my passion! It was so good to see her after her long day. Going to the mail, she’d received a letter and wanted me to see it. Handing me the folded page, I flipped up the flap and to my absolute shock I saw what I’d just imagined couldn’t be! I looked at my wife, then back to the page, then to my wife, then back to the page. I nearly got whiplash! “Is this a joke?” I said. The page was completely filled, edge to edge to edge to edge with type! There was maybe an 1/4 inch of margin on every side.

The letter was hard to read. In an effort to cram as much crammable words onto the page, the lack of margins actually became emotionally challenging. It was stressful to look at! And as I scanned this typographical nightmare, I thought about how this applied to my life. This, my friends, is how God often speaks to me.

To live with little to no margin has become the norm in our society, the pattern. Yes, many people achieve great and mighty things by pushing the margins of their lives to near extinction. They may even look impressive with their achievements. Yet there’s little room for things that decorate humanity like peace, love, relationships and revelation. Let me, for a moment, elaborate on that last one, revelation.

As we increase the margins of our lives, making hard choices as to what we will and what won’t include, a wonderful incubator space for spiritual and personal revelation opens up. We need, just as plants in a garden, sufficient room to grow and fruit. If every day is jammed with activity and scurry, if we have no room to stretch our souls in rest and reflection then our ability to understand the deeper things of God and the depths of our own souls will atrophy. Our sensitivity to divine and personal revelation diminishes. I’ve witnessed this in my own life and I see it in the lives of others.

A bush bean sprout pushes through the soil on it's way to maturity and fruit. People, like plants, need room to grow. Setting healthy margins in our lives is just like giving plants room to mature.

Margins also help us to enjoy the moments that come. They bring peace to an otherwise important and often busy lifestyle. I use margins in books and letters to make notes and to mark important things I’ve read. The margins in our lives - those times of rest and peace, times of reflection and revelation - also allow us to mark and remember the beautiful moments. Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” And Jesus said, "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?" Living without margins negates necessary time for examination. We end up making the same mistakes and causing the same relationship pains, again and again and again.

So, here are some questions that may help you to begin to formulate healthier margins in your life. Take some time to honestly reflect on each. And, after answering, you’ll have a list that will assist you in living the examined life and establishing healthy margins.

Be sure to purposefully create margins in your life. Daily, weekly and seasonally. Don’t fret what others may think or say. Creating margins, learning the art of saying “no” and setting boundaries is truly the harder work that all of us need to do.

*First posted June 10, 2016