I listened to a talk by Richard Rohr about the second half of life. He suggested that one of the shifts that takes place as we pass the middle mark is much like the way astronomy swiveled with the Copernican theory. For centuries everyone believed the sun spun around the earth. It sure looked that way. Copernicus put forth the heliocentric model in which the earth orbits around the sun.
Copernicus was not popular for this assertion. On the contrary he met with harsh criticism, primarily from the Catholic Church, and his books were banned for three hundred years. Galileo, too, was threatened for the evidence he provided to support the Copernican theory. He was threatened with torture and spent his final years under house arrest.
Our first few decades often revolve around ourselves, our education, our career, and our children. But somewhere a new orientation emerges, and our world begins to center on God. This change is as astronomical as the one put forth by Copernicus.
I recall with some embarrassment times when I thought my child's behavior was about me. Or I was the linchpin in a decision at work. Even other people's comments were colored by my self absorption.
One time I was wrestling with a flailing child whose behavior cut short a shopping trip. All I could think about was how it tanked my plans.
"That was really hard for me!" I said with clenched teeth as we exited the store.
"I didn't mean for it to be," said my unusually articulate three year old.
If John was late, it was about me. If he didn't remember to buy pasta, it was about me. If he was playing a video game, it was about me. If there was a snag in traffic the person whose itinerary mattered was mine.
My world axis is shifting.
Rohr goes on to say that as young adults we strive to master self control, resisting those things which would hinder good choices. But in later life we relinquish control for trust. We gradually learn to give up power, which renders us leadable.
"Except you become like little children you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven."
