For a while, I was a bank examiner.
Every workday, we were in a bank. And at the end of every workday, we worked into the night on the examination report ... late into the night. And even though I was a husband and father, I often had to work on weekends just to keep up with all that we had to do "outside the bank."
Sometimes, I would go over to the apartment of one of my colleagues so we could collaborate on the number-crunching, chart building, and report preparation. He had a Jackson Browne album that he would play, over and over. About once each hour, we would hear them sing "Running on Empty." After a while, I knew all the lyrics and could sing along. I remember thinking the words perfectly matched my situation:
"Running on, running on empty
Running on, running blind
Running on, running into the sun
But I'm running behind"
That's my chief memory from that period: being exhausted. There never seemed to be even a moment to recharge. This all came back to me as I read this week's Luke 10 passage. I've known so many people who became exhausted trying to fulfill the requirement of "Love your neighbor as yourself"; people who, spiritually speaking, were running on empty.
We tend to think of it something like this:
1. My neighbor needs loving, and I need to love him/her.
2. Their needs are important to God.
3. I, of course, have wants and needs, but I just have to buck up and do what I can for my neighbor, first.
4. After I've done what I can for my neighbor, I can then try to address my needs with whatever resources I have left over.
I'm not certain where we got the idea that we are supposed to do that all on our own. Maybe from some misapplication of "sacrificial love" or maybe "sacrificial giving." Definitely from some misunderstanding of scripture. Wherever we got that idea, it's wrong.
We are vessels; and unless we allow God to fill us with His love, His vitality, His talents, His gifts, we are not going to be able to love our neighbors as ourselves. If we can accept God's filling of our vessel, we will have the resources to love our neighbor without bankrupting our spirits. In other words, God loves us; why can't we love ourselves?
Seriously, dare we think less of ourselves than does God?
When I was a bank examiner, I eventually came to the realization that the people above me were also running on empty. I made plans to exit that career path, returning as soon as I could to a more traditional banking career. I found a job that let me spend my evenings and weekends with my family, meeting my vital needs, and recharging my batteries for the next workday.
Granted, we cannot always arrange our work for the optimum rest and recreation needed. But that is no reason to approach our spiritual journey that way. We can (and must) set aside time with God, allow ourselves to accept that He loves us, to rest in that love, and to love ourselves as God loves us.
Then, and only then, can we successfully love our neighbors as ourselves. There must be something in the vessel or there will be nothing to pour out. Only then can we truly obey the second greatest commandment.
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READINGS FOR THE COMING WEEK
Proper 10 (15) (July 10, 2016)
First reading and Psalm
Amos 7:7-17
Psalm 82
Alternate First reading and Psalm
Deuteronomy 30:9-14
Psalm 25:1-10
Second reading
Colossians 1:1-14
Gospel
Luke 10:25-37
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Join us if you can for a great hour of fellowship. We still meet at the Waco "Egg and I" restaurant on Friday mornings for Lectionary Breakfast. We start at 8:00 and wrap up around 9:00. It's a time of scripture reading, discussion, and laughter. It's part of the way God fills our vessels for the week ahead.
Blessings,
Steve
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