Extremes Are Easy

by W. Craig Gilliam on Monday, October 17, 2016

Extremes are easy 

Where one ends,

the other begins.

Extremes are easy. Only

the middle is a puzzle. Midsummer—

the middle way,

shades of gray,

no absolutes,

only choices.

There,

in-between two notes,

in the pause,

in the silent space between two waves,

in the breath between breaths,

there,

 in that between space,

everything is possible.

~~Comment on the poem for Preaching~~

When we stand in the pulpit to preach, “Extremes are easy” offers a perspective I rely on when trying to comprehend where the people in the pews are. When I can hold such a perspective or spirit, it is easier to connect with people, thus, have deeper impact on them and myself than when I am looking for what is wrong or something to fix. As the poem suggest, being attentive to the “in-between space” as Martin Buber suggests, is the place where narratives are altered and lives are transformed; it is the space where “everything is possible.” For me, such a way of the heart generally yields more lasting influence and better outcomes than focusing on what needs fixing or what is wrong.