One of our students at Chicago Theological Seminary has an adopted son who is severely handicapped. This young man has only been able to learn to say two words. I sat beside him at the spring picnic and discovered that the two words he says can carry him a long way in a conversation. His two words are “what’s next?”
When I first thought about the question of whether I am satisfied with where I am in my life, this young man popped into my mind. I did not think about him because I was inclined to ‘count my blessings’ in contrast to his severe handicap. In fact, just the opposite. I thought of him because I think he has the right idea. I think it is important to lean forward into life and not get stuck in the past or too satisfied with your present. The really interesting thing about life is that there is always “what’s next?”
Yet, I don’t want to convey that it is unimportant to give thanks for the blessings of your life. I give thanks every day that I met my husband and we have had 37 years of a marriage full of love and companionship. We have added three terrific sons to this circle of love and now their families and all our friends and of course our incredible grandson. I thank God I like my work and am finding cool new things to do like writing for “On Faith”—I even thank God for many of you who post thoughtful reflections. Though, while we are on this subject, for the others of you who post, frankly you need to step back once in a while and contemplate pressing “delete” rather than “send”. I would give thanks for that as well.
But my faith in particular calls me to ask, “What’s next?” I believe that what is always next is set out for us plainly in Isaiah 58. It is the job of human beings, the job of all of humanity, to participate with God in the healing of the world. We are called to be “repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in. (Isaiah 58:12b)
What do we find instead? We find that the breach between rich and poor is widening, our national streets are riddled with violence and injustice and through arrogance and incompetence we have managed to export chaos. I believe that “What’s next?” for me is to engage even more deeply with those (and there are many) who are asking that we change course and work for constructive rather than destructive responses to the many problems humanity and the entire planet are confronting.
I believe that Isaiah 58 calls me, and all of us, to a holy dissatisfaction, a recognition that we can restore our cities and our planet and make it “like a watered garden.” (Isaiah 58:11b)
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