After major rotator cuff surgery on her right shoulder, my wife Cammy had her two-week check-up yesterday. She was pronounced as coming along extremely well physiologically. Thanks be to God and answered prayer! What the doctor could not say is that she is also coming along extremely well developmentally with her left shoulder, arm and hand–her other side.  

While her right arm is in a sling, Cammy is figuring out how to brush her teeth, dress herself, fix a simple breakfast, manage her phone, write and even pull weeds (can’t keep her out of her garden)–all with her left hand and arm. Cammy will not be ambidextrous but by the time her right arm comes out of the sling a month from now, she will be assuredly more balanced.

 All of us have a “go to” side that we naturally favor because it is familiar and easier–physically, intellectually, emotionally, and  spiritually. We don’t learn about doing or thinking about things differently because we don’t have too, AND it takes work. Unfortunately this has not served our culture, our country or our churches well.  We become stuck in our patterns of thinking and doing while excluding and even demonizing those who do not have our same “go to” side.

Jesus never intended for this. He called people to develop their other side, sometimes radically:

  • fishermen to leave their nets,

  • a rich man to give up his wealth,

  • Jews to love Samaritans,

  • slighted and defensive ones to love their neighbor,

  • his followers to bless and not curse others. 

He called them to develop their underdeveloped, yet still God-given, other side. 

In September we will be entering the second month of our Blest be the Ties that Bind theme as we focus on the Bonds of Discussion. As has been the case with our book studies and our Drinks and Discussions, we will have the opportunity to discuss important topics with others who represent our other side. My prayer is that as we do that sometimes awkward work with our lesser developed side, we will, like my wife, emerge a more balanced follower of Jesus Christ.

Connecting God and Grace to Self and Community,