Thursday, November 28, 2002 "When The Center Holds"

" The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light " Matthew 4:16a

I would often see Katherine and her dog Carter walk by my house. One winter day I stepped out on the porch and invited them to come in for a chat and some coffee. We sat and visited, enjoying the fire in the fireplace and the fresh coffee. My neighbor Katherine is blind and Carter is her Seeing Eye dog. Katherine knows the number of steps from her home to her place of work. She knows the number of steps from her office to her classroom.

Katherine began to tell me about Carter at which time he returned to the living room and sat up very tall, knowing we were talking about him. Carter's training has given him "intelligent disobedience." That means that when a squirrel runs across the sidewalk, Carter ignores his dog brain that says, "Get the squirrel!" and listens to his trained brain that says, "Stay with Katherine."

As I read this text from Matthew and pondered different experiences of darkness, Katherine and Carter came to my mind. But mostly, I found myself thinking about Carter. "Get the squirrel!" "Stay with Katherine."

Chasing after squirrels often takes us into our own experiences of darkness. It can feel like such a natural thing. It can look so attractive. It can feel so comfortable but not because it is comfortable. Rather, because it is a known. We often will tolerate known discomfort rather than reach for unknown comfort.

So we, like Carter, need to be familiar with our trained, or disciplined, center. We need to listen to our core. We need to rehearse whose we are and what we are about. We need to recite what we know to be good and kind and generous. We need to listen, as Christians, to the Jesus story and where that presence settles into our lives. We need to go to the spirit at our center. For it is this spirit, this God presence, that holds.

From this place, then, when we are tempted to "Get the squirrel," to "Chase the darkness" our center will hold and another voice will come.

"Stay with Katherine." "Walk in the Light"

The darkness then does not consume us. In fact, it is the darkness into which we carry the light. And those who sit in darkness will say, "Surely the kingdom of God is shining upon us."

Janet Ellinger


All contents copyright 2002 by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action. Permission is granted to United Methodist congregations, individuals and groups to reproduce and distribute this devotional without charge. All other use requires the advance permission of the editor.