Vol. 27 No. 19
May 8, 2023
On the Edge of the Inside
Do you ever wonder about your place in the world? Where do you belong? What is your mission? Is there something more than your job or career? I’ve spent much of my life asking those questions. I spent most of my adult years serving in church leadership in one form or another, but that is no longer my role. So instead, I’m learning to be a good church member.
In my workplace, I am part of the team. I’m far from the head of the company and try to do my best to play my role among the many other team players. Some passages in the New Testament highlight the various parts of the Body of Christ, remind us that we can’t all be the “head,” and emphasize how vital all body parts are. The eyes have their place, the feet do their thing, and the hands have their special place. (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12) I’m learning to be a good team player.
I’ve come to appreciate this sentence from Romans 12: “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.”
I also love these words by St. Frances as shared by Richard Rohr in Alternative Orthodoxy, At Home in the World, Friday, June 2, 2017. “Francis wanted us to live a life on the edge of the inside—not at the center or the top, but not outside throwing rocks either. This unique position offers structural freedom and hopefully spiritual freedom, too.”
“Live a life on the edge of the inside—not at the center or the top, but not outside throwing rocks either.”
I’m doing my best to live and enjoy my life on the edge of the inside. It’s an excellent place to live.
Tom
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