One hand clapping

A Zen philosophical riddle asks, "What is the sound of one hand clapping?"  For the record, I am not today nor have I ever been a student of Zen (fellow elders, please note!).  I have invested zero time meditating on this riddle, nor have I achieved a higher degree of insight to the question.

But I did read The Call recently.  Cover to cover.  And Os Guinness, author of this excellent (but a trifle long) book, does answer that Zen riddle.  And in a very provocative way.

The answer is...well, you really should read the book.  But I'll throw in a few teasers.

A clapping sound is created when one hand strikes another, with impact.  The result is connection—sound—attention.  So one hand clapping is simply flailing away at air, with nothing to impede it.  One hand clapping is like a call—without a caller.

A call without a caller?

Exactly.  We are all called.  Someone has "caught our ear."  The only question is "Who?"  Said another way, who gets to name you and me?  Who has first dibs on us?  Our life?  Our time?  Our heart?

One answer—popular in today's world—is "Me".  I get to call myself.  After all, it's all about me.  I set the standard.  I get to be me, the star of my movie, to play me as only I can in whatever way I choose.

Another answer is "Others."  We're called by some significant Other or Others that does the calling.  He/she/they get to name us.  The name may be "world class provider."  It might be "employee of the century," or "the go-to guy," the "beast of burden" or "blessed riddance."   Whichever it is, he/she/they that named us appears to have the primary call on our life.

Now for the truth.  There is only one authority in the universe that is really empowered to call you and me.  To name us.  To be the primary audience of our life.

That's God.  Not the inactive, asleep-at-the-switch god that created things and then lost interest, leaving his children to fend for themselves.  This is the real, timeless, relational God who is ever present with us.  He's our primary caller and audience, whether we know it or not.  He holds the exclusive right-to-use license on our life. 

And that entitles Him to everything: Everything we are; Everything we do; Everything we have.  Entirely for Him.

Without Him, our life is like one hand clapping.  Incomplete.  Silent.  Without impact.  But, when we connect with Him, there's a thunderclap!  There's energy.  There's meaning, and impact.

Let's make a bit of noise here, folks.  All of us who have that partner, that strong right arm that is holding us up, that Audience of One—start clapping.   

Chris Joyce 

       

 

Comments

[david swinson]

Chris, this is a wonderful write. I love how you take something common and worldly and brilliantly turn it on edge so we realize what is truth.

The strength in your writing is your wit and narrative charm - a voice that rings true and for this reason I know it is also something that can plant a seed in the hearts of those readers who are not followers of Christ.