In his 2009 book entitled, “The Practice of Adaptive Leadership” Ronald Heifetz uses a simple diagram and the phrase, “The world as it is & The world as it should be” to demonstrate that there are two different realities in the world. There’s the world as it is, or the way we experience it now. There is also the world as it should be, or the way we believe it could be and should be, but the world isn’t there yet. The goal of Adaptive Leadership is to find beneficial and realistic ways to narrow the gap or bring these two different realities closer together; the world as it is and the world as it should be.
You know, in a sense that is what Lent is all about, but not on a global sense “the world,” but more on a personal sense, “my life or my connection with God.” You see, I think we can all agree, there is my “Faith connection with God as it is” and There is my “Faith connection with God as it should be.” These are two different realities. The goal of the church season of Lent is to help us utilize spiritual practices and disciplines to narrow the gap between how our connection with God really is and how it could/should be.
I am a bit hesitant to use the word “should” in this phrase in connection with our spirituality. Often, we human beings have the habit of beating ourselves up pretty good in different areas of our life because we know we “should” be or do something better, but we don’t. Thus, we tend to berate ourselves and that can lead to unhealthy thoughts, messages, and even actions. I, personally, also don’t believe that God wants us to be so negative with ourselves. I believe God wants us to see and yearn for the possibilities of what a closer connection or walk with God would bring to our lives.
So, a simple activity I would like to invite each of us to do is to take a regular sized piece of paper and in the bottom third draw box and in the box write the heading – My Connection with God as it is. Then I would invite you to take some time to be still, pray, and then begin to write words and phrases in that box that describes your connection with God.
Then with that same piece of paper, draw another box in the top third of the paper with the heading in the box – My Connection with God as it Could be. Again, take some time to reflect, be receptive, and pray, listening for the things that you and God might come up with as words and phrases to describe how God desires your faith connection to be…but it isn’t there yet. Take a moment to look at these two boxes that define your faith connection to God – As it currently is….and As it Could be. Notice the differences and the growth potential.
In the middle third of the page, draw another box. This time write the heading – Steps to Close the Gap. Simple write down 2-4 things that you can focus on for the rest of this season of Lent to close the gap, to strengthen your connection to God. That’s what the focus and the disciplines of Lent and our faith are really all about – closing the gap so that each of us strengthen the connection we have. Will we ever fully close the gap in our connection with God? Personally, I don’t believe we can on this side of death. But in the fullness of God’s Kingdom, I trust there will be a new sense of connection with God that will truly take our breath away…or that truly fills us with the breath of God!
So, today and during this season of Lent, take some time, a sheet of paper, and a pen (you can even use a computer if you’d prefer) and allow three boxes to guide your steps in closing the gap with God. If you do this and intentionally keep following this exercise, you’ll notice a difference in the strength of your faith by the time you get to Lent next year. As the recording announces in London when using their subway system, “Mind the Gap!” Good words for us to remember in our faith journey… “Mind the Gap!!
Pastor Keith