Well, today it happened. I actually watched a woman trying to herd cats. I was standing at my front gate staring off into space and thinking deep thoughts when I noticed this woman across the street waving a long stick in front of her. And then, I saw three or four cats walking in front of her. I take that back. They weren't really walking in front of her. They were hopping this way and that--up on the wall, over into the bushes, under her feet. One kept doubling back on her, and she had to reverse her course over and over to pick it up while the others scampered in different directions. I watched her for about ten minutes, and I swear that she didn't make more than about ten feet of progress moving her herd along. She kept at it, though. As you can tell from my ramblings, it is a difficult scene to describe. But, I suppose that is par for the course when it comes to herding cats. It defies description.
Lately, I feel as if I am trying to herd cats. And no, I don't mean the members of the church I serve! I am talking about my own thoughts and ideas. I am going through a time of intellectual challenge. My interpretations of life, the world, and God are hanging out there whipping around in the breezes of contemporary cultural change. I am struggling for order and coherence with regards to my theological and social perspectives. The context within which we live today seems to defy orderly interpretation. Like the woman across the street, I keep finding myself retracing my steps to reclaim some ideas while others scamper out of reach. But like her, I am not yet willing to give up the struggle. I am going to keep at it for awhile. Who knows? Maybe things will start to come together at some point. If they don't come together, then perhaps I will learn how to live with the ambiguity and chaos. Either way, I imagine that I will have grown in the process, and that is always valuable.
If any of you are trying to herd your own cats, drop me a line. I would love hear how it is going. Who knows? Maybe we can help each other, along the way.
1 comments:
Carl Jung said, "The pendulum of the mind alternates between sense and nonsense, not between right and wrong."
I have noticed that there are occasions when I enjoy the challenge of herding theological cats, it helps me recognize whether things make sense or don't make sense.
Other times, it makes more sense to just set out a bowl of tuna and let them come together on their own!
(Hi Russell!)
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