My
Work
“Breathe
on me breath of God,
Fill me
with life anew.
That I may
love what thou dost love,
And do
what thou wouldst do...”
Edwin
Hatch (“Breathe on Me Breath of God, c.1878)
This is a beautiful hymn.
It implores God to change our hearts and make us pure enough to live
in heaven eternally. I like the song, but it seems to use God as a
tool for changing bad behavior. Debie Thomas, in “The Long
Goodbye,” lists all the ways we treat the creator of the
universe as though it could be folded small enough to fit into our
pocket. She suggests that these are the Gods we should try to pry
off. “The God who bargains, transacts and seals the deal...The
God whose omnipotence ensures my safety—the God who spares the
children, cures the cancer, stops the rapist and defuses the
bomb...The God whose perfect will controls everything...” The
13th century Christian mystic, Meister Eckhart wrote: “Let
us pray to God that we may be free of God.” That is, this
magical God of our construction. God is not Super Man. And yet, we
cling to the hope that God is more superhero than mystery. The
mystery we have no control over—it doesn't fit neatly into a
pocket.
Changing human behavior
is hard work. Reverence for something larger than ourselves helps,
but in the end, conscious monitoring and diligent work are the forces
that change behavior. I'm trying to stop cursing, for instance, and I
have to constantly monitor not only my words but my thoughts.
Profanity was a norm in my family—it was part of everyday
conversation, so it forms in my mouth and spits out without
consideration for the ears that are listening. I want to stop, not
because I think God will punish me for cursing, but because it's
sometimes offensive to me and to others. And it's unnecessary. This
is my work.
That being said, when we
take time to connect through meditation or prayer, we can feel the
benevolence of the mystery that we call God. Human life will likely
not be as we want it to be—bombs will explode, children will die,
cancer will be diagnosed—because that is the way of this world. But
being reverent, and taking opportunities to feel at one with the
whole of creation supports our desire to change ourselves.
Understanding that our work is our work, and no superhero is going to
get us off the hook is a step toward that change. We can move
forward, trusting that we will have the strength and the guidance to
do what is necessary.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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