The Allergy In Perfection
So maybe I’m not perfect
Some small gift I possess
I give it, Lord, for you to use
And hope that it is blessed.We sometimes have an aspect
That we display quite well
The trouble is it scares someone
If on it we then dwell.It’s not they hate perfection
No way – they dazzled are
It’s more when we demand they be
Like us, a shining star –They know they cannot live there
If even once come close
So shrink away and hide their skill
Or thing they treasure most.But when we look at perfect
Up close and personal
We find its limits very fast
Those things they don’t do well.The problem’s not in “balance”
(For which we quench our gift)
But locus of that balance when
With others there’s a rift:The balance for most people
In person’s seen to be
That’s foolish for the balance lies
In full community.It’s sort of like our body
With all its diverse parts
Our hands and feet and ears and nose
Can’t function like our hearts.But when each special organ
Or ‘member’ functions well
The body moves and picks up things,
Tastes food, fresh roses smell.But strengths among the members
Of our communities
Grate on the others, rifts create,
And drive us to our knees.Whence flows this source of conflict –
For we would balanced be?
Because we cannot stand those folks –
It’s like an allergy.The insight in the Bible –
Its depth amazes me –
Reveals it as a gift from God
Like divine allergy!It’s not that it’s forever
It’s quite conditional
So long as God’s not central here
Our giftings mix not well.What kind of God would do that –
Inflict such allergy
If he designed each one of us
As sub-community?The insight of the Bible
Should make us stop and think
God’s gift to us—to slow us down
And keep us from the brink.“Rediculous!” you tell me?
Just look around and see –
Environment is crashing down
Like icebergs to the sea.We’ve pushed it to the limits
As western culture rose
Now all the rest want in on that
No buffer’s left for those.If China just got fridges
That’s not a lot to ask
The Freon then would wreck the place
And limits far surpass.The better way of cooling
Costs more than Freon gas
Who pays the higher cost for this
Not rich – the poor – alas!Hey woa! Hold on a minute!
God’s gift – that allergy –
How does that fit within the plan
If brink I do concede?If all our skills and giftings
Worked smoothly without fuss
This place we’d trash before we had
The time to smarten up.Before the Babel story
Where God hit on this plan
We left the garden’s tree of life
To set about our plans –“Forget design for caring,
Consideration’s love,
Let’s blow this place – success to those
Who best can push and shove.”So what was God to do then,
For freedom’s choice he made –
This allergy he gave us
Slowed down the plans we laid.That allergy prevents us
From running at full pace
For all my perfect little skill
Grates on the human race.If we’d not been allergic
To other folks and clans
We’d had this place trashed long ago
With all our selfish plans.But slow was not preventing
And now we’re at the brink
Were these past years sufficient time
For us to stop and think?The allergy’s around us
The chaos and the threat
So how can we pull back right now
What’s antidote to it?“That’s simple”, says the Bible,
“This place was made to run
With spirit full of gratitude,
Free-flowing love, and fun.“You set it up your own way
Where center is not me
Who is this central tone of love –
You’ll die – just wait and see.”So, now we’ve found out our way
(Was not the smartest course)
With extra time to think about
Our actions – where’s remorse?Take China for example,
Which wants our western life
We got to here by push and shove
The fruits of bygone strife.Perhaps we’ve got an excess
Of cookies from the plate
And maybe it is time for us
To share before too late.That means a drop in lifestyle
As others upward rise
“That slows us down, lets take our skills
Run full-stretch to the skies.”You can – God’s gift remains here –
Perhaps you’ll stop and think
Perfection in the one or group –
Slow walk as well, to brink.navigation