Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Messy Floors

As a way to support myself, my wife and child, I teach at an area middle school. Often I post from Room 303 during my lunch. Just like today...

I just looked up to see bits of paper, pencil shavings, and some abandoned projects scattered all over the floor. After two of my three classes, this room is a disaster. I wish the kids were neater. I urge them to be neater. They seldom are.

But this messy floor is hard evidence that the learning process has been plodding along in this room. Learning is messy. Even school or "book-learnin'." The more involved the learning project, the greater likelihood of a mess.

So, too, with spiritual formation. It is a messy process. Finding wholeness and holiness is messy business. There are falls, spills, scrapes, debris, mess.

I could have clean floors in Math 303, but little learning. We can have neat, tidy communities of faith, too, if no real spiritual formation is taking place. May I always be blessed with messy floors. The eternity of my brothers, sisters and me are worth all this mess.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great blog! Regina