In my conference experience last week in Orlando, I was
grateful to be part of a session that featured a panel of guests whom many I've
had the privilege of working with and for at previous and current institutions.
When I saw their names in the program lineup I knew this would be a session
that would leave a mark on me and it did not disappoint. The session was
titled: Midlife Reflections about Vocation and Calling.
Context for the presentation was offered from the foundations
of Richard Rohr's book Falling Upward. Rohr is a Franciscan friar and has
written a few books, speaks internationally and resides in New Mexico as
Founding Director for the Center for Action and Contemplation. Thanks to
blogcritics.org for a greater detailed review of his book here: http://blogcritics.org/books/article/book-review-falling-upward-by-richard/
Below is an excerpt of their review that helps shape the
similar framework that was shared at the session.
Rohr uses the image of life’s
two halves. In the first half of life, which needn’t be defined purely in terms
of age, we focus on the foundations and create a container for life’s
questions. From there, after we’ve taken care of these basic elements of the
faith journey, then we are ready to fill the container with content. Often, in
the first half of life, we live with either/or categories. But, staying put in
this first stage of life means that our containers remain largely empty and
ill-defined. We live in a sort of perpetual adolescence. It’s fine to be an
adolescent for a while, but not forever, but unfortunately the church often
does little to challenge this adolescence. As Rohr notes, many of the sermons
he has heard over his long life never move beyond this first level. Indeed, if
a preacher does challenge these sacred foundations, that person will likely be
considered “heretical, dangerous, or ill advised” (p. 7).
If, however, we’re going to
experience spiritual maturity, or what Rohr calls the second half of life
(something that many people never achieve), then we must be ready to leave the
comfort of the black and white and risk living with a both/and dynamic. To move
into the second half of life we must be comfortable with change and willing to
be stretched beyond our comfort zones. Indeed, we need to be aware of the trap
of worshiping the status quo. Thus, like Abraham and Sarah, we must be willing
and ready to leave home and head out for an undiscovered country.
It was deeply moving to hear the reflections and journey of the
panelists as they described their 'containers' and what life events have
affected them in positing how they fill their container and what values they
embrace. I am blessed that in my professional field there is much worth
ascribed to reflection. We build it into the classes we teach and the programs
we lead for our students to engage in mindfulness and reflect to deepen their
learning and grow in their self understanding. It's easy to set the stage for
them. It is harder to discipline ourselves into fulfilling the same prescription.
A lot of excuses get in the way, namely things surrounding how we describe
time/availability/priorities.
Well I have a birthday coming up next month. It's my golden
birthday- turning 30 on April 30th! And after sitting in this session and
continuing to reflect on the stories shared and questions posed still after a
week, I feel challenged to engage in some deeper reflection time for myself.
Not because I feel like my 30th birthday is in any way the midlife point or
back half of the hill journey, but because I DO value reflection and I was
moved by the authenticity and honesty shared by my colleagues. I felt
challenged to push my introverted boundaries and risk sharing my thoughts with
more than just my diary. (Also being influenced a lot by Brene Brown these days
and her research on vulnerability- one of my fav TED videos here).
So here is what's coming in April on the blog... 30 days of
reflection leading up to my 30th birthday. I have a jump on a few topics and
questions to unpack, but feel free to make suggestions. And feel free to join
me in setting time apart to reflect.
