Overflow

So I am ending my odd lectio over the lyrics of this Rush song (long story. see below.) and I’ve had time to ponder a few of the other stanzas. Two of the stanzas challenge me to reassess who I am in the roles I play and what that implies in my life:

“And the men who hold high places
Must be the ones to start
To mould a new reality
Closer to the Heart”

On first blush, I thought this was talking about rich people and political leaders. But you know, I hold a very high place. I am extraordinarily blessed, especially as compared to humanity as a whole. I would guess that if you are reading this you hold a very high place in the world too. And from those to whom much is given, much will be expected. Yes, I believe that regular folks like me need to “wake up” to the fact that we are the world’s elite and take the responsibility that implies.

“Philosophers and Ploughmen
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the Heart”

This one was tricky. I am a philosopher *and* a ploughman. I wear multiple hats — father, husband, software engineer, catechist, poet, artist, futurist (who has the luxury of wearing just one hat these days?) And I definitely favor some hats over others. Some are just plain more fun.

As a result, I often shortchange what I judge to be the mundane “ploughman” hats in favor of the fun “philosopher” hats. But I know that I must honor each one as they are all from God and have a part in his plan for me. If I want that mentality that is “Closer to the Heart” then I must love God with all my heart and each and every hat I wear.

And so my assessment of this little episode is that God is calling me to be closer to her through greater spiritual discipline and discipline in general. This is something I had always known in the back of my mind — I need more self-discipline. But experiencing a call, however mundane, is a spark that I need to drag my butt out of bed and meditate, crack that scripture, and get back to basics. I guess I could be imagining this whole “call in the form of a Rush song” thing, but if it leads me into deeper prayer and contemplation, it doesn’t matter to me if it’s real or imagined.

Hmmm… You know, people usually think of the Voice of God as being this big booming bass. Wouldn’t it be funny if it really were a high screechy tenor like Geddy Lee’s?