Seeking Balance

The Kairos Voice has been way too quiet lately while I have been in the midst of many transitions personally and professionally. As I begin to find some sense of stability in the midst of it all, I look forward to blogging more often in the near future.

Stability for many equals peace in their lives. We strive for stability and we cringe at the thought of instability often the result of change or some other catalyst that knocks us from our confident perch. Truth be told, stability is only possible when we are static, unmoving...going nowhere. Every moment of growth takes place as a result of instability. Think about it. Even walking confidently and strongly has an element of instability depending on the next crack in the sidewalk, pebble on our path, the rudeness of the next person to pass by us, the gust of wind we are not ready for. So, I am not searching for stability. I am on a quest for balance, which I believe allows us to meet the challenges of the day without being plunged into chaos. Balance is the ability to take things as the come in stride. Balance comes from living with perspective, flexibility of ideology, and desire to be in relationship with God and God's creation. Balance is not possible without honesty in relationships, nor without justice in relationships. Whenever we practice dishonesty or injustice in our relationships we are causing others to experience imbalance in their lives, or perhaps being dishonest with ourselves we cause imbalance in our own.

The problem with balance is that it is often equated with stability. Balance is not static and neither is justice. Balance is nimble and justice rolls down like a waterfall. Unfortunately, justice is often equated with retribution, a balancing of the scales so to speak. A friend forwarded me the following meditation on justice that I believe is very helpful as we all seek balance in our lives and certainly in our relationships.

The desire for vengeance, even after having been wronged, is a far cry from the cardinal virtue of justice. It is low-level consciousness. Here is where people must have some degree of self-knowledge, some detachment from their own base motives, some freedom from ego and anger, to recognize the difference between the two. So much hateful vengeance has hidden behind the word justice in history that we now mistrust the very word and concept.

God’s justice does not need retaliation or punishment, but merely honest accounting and the making of amends. This is the kind of restorative justice we are promised to receive from God; whereas what we have had for most of history, even from the church, is largely “retributive justice” (“tit for tat”) which Jesus specifically opposed (Matthew 5:38-48). In the world of mere retribution, both fall into the pit, as Jesus puts it (Matthew 15:14). From Father Richard Rohr's Daily Meditations

So, we have a choice. We may face the day's challenges with reactionary retribution which will pull all of us into the pit, or we can seek balance in our lives, facing the pitfalls of life with honesty, transparency and grace - something we call justice. Let's seek not to construct immovable ground on which we think we may stand against anything life hurls at us. Let's seek the gift of balance built on the ground of God's abundant grace and unconditional love for everyone, yes even you and even me.

Prayer:
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6: 8).
God may we love mercy as we hold one another accountable and make amends for the ways we may have wronged another. May we act justly as we seek balance in our daily lives by being honest with others and with ourselves. May we walk humbly with you in your unbounded love and grace, freely given for each and for all. Amen.