It’s been about six weeks since I began working at Inspire here in Aberdeen. Much like my time at Christian Horizons back home, it’s been challenging but good. I find myself appreciating the opportunity to be engaged in this kind of work all the more as a theology student lest I lose myself in books and discussions and forget that inherent in the study of practical theology is an awareness of a different Way.
I’m not about to romanticize working with individuals with various intellectual and physical disabilities and say that I come home after every shift feeling as though I have learned some valuable life lessons and that I am closer to God. At times, perhaps the opposite is true.
I do, however, gain a sense of the need to reorient myself according to that different Way. In world wherein technology allows us to communicate and accomplish tasks at an almost alarming speed, I am reminded that it’s fine to go about the daily rhythms of life at a slower pace. I am often required to slow down, and huge chunks of time can be eaten up in the pursuit of the simplest of tasks. But, as Stanley Hauerwas remarks in the brilliant new book Living Gently in a Violent World: The Prophetic Witness of Weakness, we have all the time we need to do what needs to be done. It’s good to slow down.
I am also often reminded of the significant importance of the other. While I finish up my school work, think about what we want to do with what remains of our time over here, and consider what the next step will be, it is good to pause and remember that the world does not revolve around me. Again, from Living Gently, this time from Jean Vanier:
There can be no peacemaking or social work or anything else to improve our world unless we are convinced that the other is important. You are precious. You – not just ‘people’, but you. And we have a call to make history, not just accept history. We are called to change things – to change the movement of history, to make our world a place of love and not just a place of conflict and competition.
And yes, while at work, there are times when my presence is not required nor desired as non-verbal requests are made for some time alone. That frees up time to enjoy great books like the one quoted in this post, which I was able to read today. Not a bad deal.
And this is an awesome little book, by the way.
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