#15 Willing Transformation

With this Understanding we come to the final statement covering the basis of our common life in the Lindisfarne Community.  Here we admit that not only have we not said everything there is to say, but we do not know all that there is to know, and in fact, will come to know more over time. 

We admit that our understanding, deep and wide as it may be in the present moment, is "merely provisional," suitable as far as it goes, but hardly the fullness of wisdom that will be revealed in the end.  We commit ourselves to more than the notion of eventual change in life, but to "a great willingness to change."  We are, in the end, willing to be transformed!   

Such a stance of openness is rare -- I was about to write, rare in these days of deep polarization, but I suspect it is rare in all times and places, to some degree.  Change, transition, transformation are all deeply challenging processes. There have been times when I felt as though the fabric of my life was unraveling before my eyes, or that its structure was falling apart, or that my guts had been pulled out and trampled.  We can only use metaphors to suggest the radical nature of change, and the ways in which it overturns plans, ideas, and expectations.  To adopt a stance of openness to such events in life is an act of deepest courage, and at the same time, deep humility.

There's a line in this Understanding that always makes me smile: "We hold our convictions (which are few) without wavering, but hold our opinions (which are many) lightly."  I commend this statement to all who would know themselves better, and who would choose the path of courage and humility that is the essence of a Christian life, a life of faith, life in community and in solitude.

My thanks to all who have walked the road of reflecting on the Lindisfarne Understandings with me through the winter months.  With the arrival of spring I will trust the Spirit to set these reflections on a new path.  Blessings!