The Paradox of Power

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you...and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth  (Acts 1).

I have good news and bad new for those trying to be Christian -- and it's the same news:  You (and I) don't have the power to live the Christian life.  After three years of being taught by Jesus Christ Himself, after watching Jesus "up close" and personally, after practicing casting out demons and healing under His tutelage -- still, Jesus had to tell the Apostles not to leave Jerusalem until they had been endowed with "the Gift of the Father."  He knew that with all the human and divine energy He had poured into them, that they still had no power to carry out His mission --- until they had received the Spirit of Truth, of Power, of Witness, of Holiness.

Power has a bad name because people use it to advance their own cause, to manipulate others for their own advantage.  We are either about ourselves, or we are about the common good, under God.  And it's not too difficult to tell the difference; it takes only about 5 minutes of being with another person to know who or what it's all about.

True, humble, and confident power is the definition of a well-grounded person.  The reason General Honore could put the City of New Orleans back together in the midst of chaos and confusion after Katrina was that it was about the people of the city, and not about him.  He told the National Guard to lower their rifles, even while they carried them:  "these people are not criminals," he told the soldiers.  The rifles were necessary to control the evil element and to protect life, freedom, and personal property -- but they served the benefit of the common good, not the benefit of those "in power."

We draw life from the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, from knowing that our power comes not from ourselves, our own personalities, our own positions in life -- but from the willingness of God to place His own power for good within those who will use it for His purposes.  A truly spiritual woman, a truly whole man, is a very powerful person -- and yet these are the very people who will not "lord it over" others.

We are called to be powerful people:  "Not by might, not by power, but by My Spirit," says the Lord of hosts (Zeph. 3).  God is not interested in keeping us children; He wants adults who can handle His own power.  They can handle it because they don't need it and because they know it is not their own.  When you know you are being used by a Higher Power, you don't take your own small power too seriously (Rohr, Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality, p. 98).

People who use their power for the common good are the best at sharing power; they do not need to claim recognition for their own ideas or plans.  The person who does not know who he or she is from the inside is dependent on titles, costumes, precedence, roles, and perks --- but the one who knows he/she is "sent" (like Jesus, like John the Baptist) does not need any of these things.  He goes without script, extra tunic, sword, etc. because he/she knows that the God Who sent him will provide what he needs along the way.  He does not need a loud voice or extra strength, because he knows the Source of power and strength.  He is confident; he is not called to success, but only to "do whatever He tells you." 

Those who filled the water jars at the Wedding of Cana had no idea what the water would be used for.  In fact, they could never have imagined what would happen next.  All we need to do is to carry water to desert areas; it is not up to us to change it into wine.