Saved by Orthodoxy
A sermon for the indecisive, hesitant and overly-analytical.
I often feel paralyzed by the 47 different ways I can approach any given moment or conversation or next step. (And that's just the 47 options I'm aware of!)
I want to get it right. And more so, I don't want to get it wrong.
Which route should I take? Number 31? I can make a good case for Path #12 as well... And Option 28 has a lot of merit.
I often end up creating a new option - Option 48: shrugging and not choosing any of the other 47 paths. Which is my least favorite option, but it can feel the safest because I still have all of the paths to choose from (whenever I decide to finally take action).
This is a pattern is driven by fear. Fear of getting it "wrong" or making a choice I'll regret.
And if can negatively affect others in my life too. I don't want to be the Passive Parent who isn't sure how to handle this moment with his son - which of the 47 approaches should I take in this moment? - and default to passively let him navigate the world on his own. I don't want to be the Shrugging Spouse who won't step up to the issues in our marriage that needs to be addressed because I'm not sure of the best approach. I don't want to be the Careless Coach who won't ask the tough question or lean into my intuition because I may get it "wrong."
I grew up in the Christian Tradition - an evangelical version that stressed believing the correct things (and steering clear of incorrect beliefs). This was called Orthodoxy - ortho meaning "correct" and doxa meaning "belief."
Through studying religious history, I've found that Christian mystics through the centuries have had another understanding of what "Orthodoxy" means: Not believing the right things, but believing in the right way - a way of love, compassion and justice. It's not about thinking the correct things about the world, but a correct way of being in the world.
This view helps me to take action with more confidence and lightness.
Because maybe it's not about getting it "right" or "wrong."
Maybe life is not a maze with a single correct path.
Maybe Reality is not a math problem to be solved.
In a world of algorithms and Rotten Tomato scores and Wayz navigation, it's tempting to believe that there is a definitive correct answer for everything. If we just have enough data.
But I'm finding that worldview feels heavy and leads me to indecision.
Instead, I'm trusting in a different orthodoxy. One that's not about the correct mechanics but the "correct" heart.
It's not as much about the form as the Spirit that animates the form.
It's not as much about the words you choose as it is how you say them.
It's not as much about the path you take as it is how you walk the path.
Do we live in a mechanical universe, where Newton's laws of force and reactions determine how the pinballs of our lives play out? If so, carefully assess each of your actions for they determine your fate.
Or do we live in a universe that is alive with desire and wants us to participate in co-creating our world? If so, I believe it's less about the surface level actions we take and more about the Spirit we are living in and from.
If you are flowing with the current, it doesn't matter if you're in a kayak, on a log, or backstroking - you're being carried by something larger. You don't have to get it right or understand it. Maybe that's what is meant by salvation.
BENEDICTION: May you focus less on being right or wrong and more on where your Being is coming from. May you not stress believing the right things but believing in the right way. And may you live in a universe that is for you and with you so you don't have to get it right - just join in.
