Reflections for 9/16/10

"The powers of the world, who are always fighting deadlines, management goals and profit scales, do not expect to be motivated from within. They must produce, fix and accomplish, and that is one helpful part of life."(R.Rohr "Radical Grace" p.310)

What would life be like without goals? If we had nothing to strive for? Certainly in the economic sphere production, profit and goals are incredibly important. The system would fail in the short term without those motivators. The carrot-stick approach works to a point.

I think when we try to be human the carrot-stick approach isn't always the most helpful. When we do things because we want to, even more is accomplished and creativity really takes off. I particularly discovered this summer that when I had things to do that weren't deadline driven, or had to be done, they just were activities that I loved to do for the sake of doing them, I had more time and energy to do those more mundane tasks.

One of the hardest parts of maintaining our balance is the loss of an inner authority, that authority that comes from being a child of God. That authority which stirs our compassionate side, that authority that helps us recognize what brings joy and fulfillment into our lives.

Yes we need to do those mundane things in order to pay the bills, but when that is all we do, when there is nothing to look forward to, when the only option at the end of the week is physical collapse, we've lost sight of our true calling as those redeemed and loved by God.

Blessings,
Ed