Create the Container

Years ago I participated in a mini retreat. I don’t remember even how I came to be at the gathering, or really what the theme was. I believe it was led by an author whose book I had read on sabbath. The other participants were all decades older than me, and had a wisdom about them - sort of in a Gandalf, Dumbledore, or Obi One Kenobi way.

I had recently graduated from seminary but hadn’t yet found my path. I remember sharing with one of the participants that I was ‘earnestly seeking what was next,’ with an emphasis on the earnestness of my search. Being an A student my whole life, earnestness had always served me well, or so I thought. This Gandalf just listened and looked back at me and with a gentleness and grace suggested that perhaps it was not earnestness that was needed. Though I remember very few other details about the retreat, I don’t even know where it was, this brief conversation has stayed with me two decades later.

Fast forward to yesterday. I was out on a long ride on Alegria up the valley. As we rode along we passed by an aguaje (ah-wa-hay) which is a natural pond where animals can come to drink. The pond is typically fed by a small natural spring, often just a trickle. This trickle, if it has the necessary container, can actually grow to a reservoir of water that is significant enough for animals to drink from it.

However, if someone were to say, “This spring is just a trickle - let’s dig a bit further to create a greater flow” instead of actually producing more water, it produces less, and even has the chance of drying up completely. The ‘earnestness’ if you will, actually gets in the way of the thing, rather than producing the desired result.

The secret is to simply create the container, create the space and the opportunity for the small trickle to grow into a refreshing and life giving source.