125: Remember the Center

If you are a person who drives some sort of vehicle, I wonder what you remember about learning to drive. I remember three main things about that experience for me: the who, the where, and the what.

So first, the who: My dad was my primary teacher, though I also took a driver’s ed course that used simulators to teach, so there’s that. Second, the where: Most of my early driving experience took place in a cemetery not far from our house—the roads were quiet and wind-y, so I could go slow and feel out how to brake and steer. And third, the what: obviously, I was learning to drive, so that was the what, but one particular lesson I remember {and that surprised me at the time} was to use the same foot on the gas and brake pedals. Driving is pretty much second-nature at this point, but I’ll still recall and think about that particular tidbit every now and then. Random, I know.

Anyway, like I said, nearly 22 years later, the act of driving feels pretty intuitive. At least in places where you drive on the right side of the road.

Now, by “right,” I don’t mean “correct.” I mean, the literal right-hand side. That’s what I know best. So as you might imagine, when given the opportunity earlier this year to drive on the left-hand side, I was pretty disoriented. But over in the UK, that’s how it’s done. And for both Brad and I, that switch took some getting used to.

It took some getting used to as pedestrians trying to cross the street. It took some getting used to as soon-to-be passengers hoping to catch a bus or a cab. And of course, most especially, it took some getting used to when we rented a car and drove ourselves across Scotland to the Isle of Skye.

As we adjusted, there was another small tidbit we began to notice and then tried our best to remember: what is true on the right-hand side of the road is also true on the left—the driver’s side is meant to be closest to the center.

For some reason, that small noticing proved to be an incredibly helpful guide as we navigated routes that felt very much backward and somewhat foreign to us. If unsure or hesitant while making a turn or entering a roundabout, we’d recall, “Whoever is driving needs to be closest to the center of said road or roundabout.” And with the center in mind, sure enough, we might’ve still been flustered, but we remained on track.

For us, keeping the center in mind while we drove was key. And in a somewhat similar way, I also wonder if it’s necessary as we live. In the context of our life and faith, it can be easy to lose sight of the main thing. It can be easy to live distracted, disordered, disoriented. Like you hear over and over again on this podcast—it can be easy to forget. To get turned around. To slowly shift our focus away from the center.

And yet, as we navigate the twists and turns, the ups and downs, of our day-to-day lives, remembering the center is key. So what might that look like? Three pretty practical considerations come to mind.

First, it’s probably helpful to remember what the center even is. What are our lives meant to revolve around and be oriented toward? Well, as people of Christian faith, that would be the heart and purposes of God, the character and way of Jesus, the tuning in and responding to the prompting and leading of the Holy Spirit. I don’t know about you, but I am often prone to turn those key components—that center—into an accessory of sorts, something off to the side that revolves around me and my life rather than the other way around. It is available if I need it or think of it, but it’s certainly not at the center.

And yet, our faith is meant to be at the center of it all. The way of Jesus is meant to influence and inform the way we invest our time, the way we spend our money, the way we steward our attention, the way we cast our vote, the way we interact with others, the way we go about our work, the way we respond to our circumstances. The way of Jesus is meant to be at the center. Our way of life and being is meant to revolve around His.

Second, when discerning what it looks like to remember and keep close to that center, I’ve found the following question to be a helpful one: If Jesus were living my current, actual, day-to-day life, what would He do? How would He act or respond? How would He approach and engage this difficult conversation, schedule, decision, or news cycle? As an accountant or contractor or doctor or mechanic or school teacher or parent or spouse or friend, how would Jesus go about it?

This question comes from the late professor, author, and spiritual formation guru, Dallas Willard. It might seem similar to a popular question from back in the 90s, “What would Jesus do?” There are similarities, for sure, but “What would Jesus do” seems to assume that we’re even able to do what He did. The reality is, we don’t live the same life Jesus lived 2,000 years ago. Our contexts are different. We aren’t expected to be the exact same person doing the exact same things. But, we can become the same kind of person. We can be the kind of person Jesus was in our current context. With help from the Holy Spirit, we can embody his heart and character in our present-day lives.

In his book, Renewing the Christian Mind, Dallas Willard put it this way,

…As a disciple I am learning from Jesus to live my life as he would live my life if he were I. I am not necessarily learning to do everything he did, of course: but I am learning how to do everything I do in the manner and from the source from which he did all that he did.

It’s a simple question. But it’s a question that can make a profound difference and help us keep the heart and mission of Jesus front and center as we go about our everyday lives.

Third, it can be helpful to remember that we are never far from the center. God is always so very near. It is our awareness of that center, of that nearness, that sometimes falters. That often forgets. And when that happens, we would do well to practice what helps us remember. What reminds us of what is central.

We’ve talked about this many times over the years on this podcast, but if you’re new, this can look all kinds of ways. It could be taking a walk, sitting on your porch, sharing a meal with a friend, studying or meditating on Scripture, painting, singing, playing or listening to hymns or worship music, meeting with a spiritual director, scheduling pockets of silence throughout your day, journaling, or practicing centering prayer. Whatever the practice, if it helps you remember and reorient toward the center, it’s a good practice to keep.

Whether we remember or not, Christ is always central. Jesus is our center, our focus, our wellspring, and our goal. When things get out of focus, when the car veers off course, when we lose sight of where we are headed, finding and remembering that center once more will always be a help. And Christ will always be right there, holding everything together, guiding us every step of the way.

As we read in Colossians 1: 15-17 {CSB},

15 

He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.

16 

For everything was created by him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him.

17 

He is before all things,
and by him all things hold together.

Today, as you continue to navigate your day-to-day life, remember the center. May we hold fast to the heart and purposes of God, the way of Jesus Christ, and the leading of the Holy Spirit as we continue to become the people God calls and invites us to be.