“There is nothing so
secular that it cannot be sacred, and that is one of the deepest messages of
the Incarnation.” – Madeleine L’Engle
One of my favorite memories
of my time serving people with disabilities at L’Arche Calgary was, of all
things, the personal care moments with my friend ‘Daisy.’ How many times did we
share in the bathroom, chatting about the day and laughing at the absurdity of
what ‘personal care’ actually entails. Giggling while plugging our noses and
refilling, yet again, the toilet paper roll. Multiple side effects of various
medications, supplements to help with limited muscle activity and a robust
daily menu, all helped to create unique and often unhurried experiences. And
yet, these times of waiting frequently created pockets of absolutely delightful
conversation and dare I say even ‘sacred moments.’ These were times of beauty
amidst a lot of mess!
A YouTube video, made two
years ago, entitled ‘Breaking the Barrier’ has been resurfacing on Facebook. I
don’t necessarily recommend it for the faint of heart but suffice it to say
that if you want to hear how one couple developed boundaries (or lack thereof)
around daily personal moments, it definitely creates conversation around what
is or isn’t appropriate behavior. Wow. What a loaded question, what IS
appropriate behavior these days?
I have a little two-year-old
niece I’ve mentioned before, named Norah. Recently, I was hosting her, along
with her two older brothers and younger baby sister for an afternoon. It was
busy. Active. Not quite chaos. I needed a personal moment and asked if the
other kids would keep an eye on the baby. As soon as I asked for help, Norah
jumped up and ran to the bathroom, lifted the toilet seat for me saying ‘here
you go Chistee,’ and then ran back to play with her little sister. This act of
hospitality and service melted my heart. Somewhere, in her little experience
thus far, she had determined that this was appropriate behavior, to help others
when asked – yes, take care of the baby and yes – take care of me.
It was this little act of
supporting my personal care that got me thinking of another ‘breaking the
barrier’ moment in life - as it relates to this Easter weekend. A
creator-sustainer-provider-redeemer-God ‘broke the barrier,’ entered a little
messed up world and chose to ‘lift the toilet seat’ of human experience to
bring meaning and hope. The choice of behavior for this God was a harsh and
bloody death on a cross. Messy. Lowly. And yet this death somehow,
mysteriously, Christians believe, brings about life and life to the fullest.
How appropriate is this behavior? Is this how I’d chose - in my limited
knowledge of redemptive practices?
