Responding To What Is Right In Front Of Us

In my counseling work, I have the opportunity to sit with a lot of people who struggle with things from the past. While many struggle with things that happened to them, there’s a good number who struggle with things that they have done. We can carry lots of guilt and shame about what we have done or failed to do. In recovery circles, I have heard it called “shoulda, coulda, woulda…” I have some of this myself.

The spiritual life, however, is really only lived in the present moment. Not in the past. Not in the future. But here and now.

Our first reading today from Ephesians 4 ends with a reminder to its readers that we now live “in the light of God,” and invites us to “live as children of light.” Paul seems to be saying that it does not matter what has come before. We are here, now, and, as such, are called to live in that light (and also to be the light).

Paul then goes on to tell us what that means. “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving…” He counsels us against immorality, greed, obscenity and inappropriate speech that is not fitting among the “holy ones.” Instead he urges us to practice thanksgiving.

What I love about this reading is that it grounds us in this present moment and invites us to discern what this moment requires from us. It does not ask about prior moments and what we did or did not do. It just asks, “What would someone who lives in the light do now?”

And the answer might look a lot like one of those inspirational Etsy wall hangings that many of us probably have in our homes: Practice gratitude, kindness, compassion and forgiveness in this moment. Be that kind of light.

While it can seem a bit woo-woo, this kind of counsel has real-world implications.

We see this in our gospel reading from Luke 13. Jesus is in the temple teaching on the sabbath. A “woman was there who for eighteen years had been crippled by a spirit; she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.” When Jesus sees her, “he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.”

I am speculating here, but I imagined that Jesus asked himself, “What does a person who is living in the light need to do right now in this situation?” And so he heals her.

Of course the religious leaders protest because it’s “the sabbath.” Jesus calls them hypocrites and rebukes them saying, “ought she not to have been set free on the sabbath day from this bondage?” We’re then told, “When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated; and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.”

Responding in the present moment has implications, and it may not always be welcomed by everyone – especially if our kindness, compassion and forgiveness rub up against the status quo.

But it is what we are called to do. 

Many writers through the years have identified the deep resonances between Christian teachings and Buddhist teachings. With respect to today’s readings, I have often turned toward the Buddhist idea of “right action” which was/is part of Buddha’s Eightfold Path. It is essentially an intentional, compassionate response to what is happening now – a response that is grounded in clear awareness and compassion and is free from the illusions of ego.

I see Jesus embodying this idea of right action in his interaction with the woman today, and I see her response to his action as the response that others have when we act with the right action for the present moment – the other gets to stand up straight (meaning that they can now stand in their full humanity).

The religious leaders of his day were living in a fear-based universe that prevented them from responding in the present moment. But somehow Jesus had cultivated an awareness that enabled him to respond to what was needed – a response that made a world of difference to the woman and one that left a deep impression on the crowd.

This ability to respond clearly and compassionately in the present moment is an important skill set and is one that we can practice and cultivate. It can start with an increased commitment to “monotasking” (as opposed to multi-tasking), becoming more aware of our surroundings, moving more mindfully, checking in with our bodies and feelings and becoming more in tune with the beings around us.

The ability to respond also requires us to address our egos, our fears and our projections and invites us to attend to our wounds so that these do not get in the way of our responses.

This is not simple work, but I know that I have experienced it before – in my own life and witnessing others in action – and it is powerful to feel free in the moment and totally present to what was before us. And we have all probably experienced the opposite – where we felt constricted and unable to respond as we would have liked to.

Obviously we cannot change the past, but we can commit ourselves to engaging this work more fully so that we might show up now in ways that respond to the present moment.

When I think about right action, I often think about the words attributed to John Wesley, the 18th century founder of the Wesleyan church. He is credited with saying, “Do all the good you can, By all the means you can, In all the ways you can, In all the places you can, At all the times you can, To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.” 

For me, this is the invitation from today – to let God’s light shine through us brightly and to respond with all the good that we can in all the ways that we can to what is happening right in front of us on this day.