“We are very imperfect vehicles for the embodiment of Divine Grace. We’re all driving around on at least one flat tire and with missing or malfunctioning parts. Broken as we are, the impulse is still there: Christ’s desire to incarnate grace and truth.”
—Br. Mark Brown, SSJE, in “Brother, Give Us a Word,” a daily email sent to friends and followers of the Society of Saint John the Evangelist, a religious order for men in the Episcopal/Anglican Church. www.ssje.org
I and another spiritual friend so relate to this message, as we both have mobility issues. That is why we love the image that we are moving around with at least one flat tire—and maybe more. Images from our physical life are mirrors into our spiritual life. These images help us know a God who is all knowing, and of whom we receive only a tiny glimpse from time to time.
I hope to remember the flat tire when I make my mistakes. It helps me to acknowledge that I am human and not beat myself up. I just need a little more air, a little more Spirit in my tires. I like the image of the Spirit being the air we breathe. It is also the freely given breath of creation, the mark of the Creator, that is all around us.
Sometimes our tires become so worn that we actually will have to change them. That could mean so many things. The Spirit can no longer be confined within our tires. Maybe we are ready to begin a new spiritual practice. Or it is a sign that our image of God has become too small. Perhaps it means old habits will no longer work to keep us connected.
The flat tire is a work in progress. It is a reminder that we are not perfection and are subject to change.
joanna . joannaseibert.com