The Doctor’s Office

The Doctor’s Office
Michael D. Thomas, D.C.

People are presented with many, many options today when they begin to
look for healthcare. It can be bewildering, and because it is such an
important matter, it can be frightening. When illness strikes a person,
they feel vulnerable and often have little energy to try and ferret out
the best care for themselves.

I would like to present a few thoughts to help guide this search. First,
and most importantly: you are in charge of what happens to you. In the
same way that you hire a mechanic to fix your car or a carpenter to build
an addition, you hire a doctor to help you regain your health. I know
this isn’t how it feels. Doctors have, in the past been dictatorial and
many wouldn’t even allow questions about their treatment. I will repeat
however, that you are in charge of what happens to you. You are paying
for services and you should receive the services you pay for. You have
the right to informed consent and that means you should understand what
the doctor wants to do with you. You should be made aware of procedures,
possible outcomes, and potential “side effects”, both short term and in
the long term. It is then your choice to accept the care or to look for
another opinion.

When you find yourself with illness or disease, you are often confronted
with options that may all seem undesirable. Symptoms, however, make the
need to act undeniable. When symptoms create an emergency, there is need
for abrupt definitive action and, medical care can shine here. More
often however, symptoms come on slowly over time and if not ignored, can
be dealt with in a more calm and reasoned way. It makes sense to take a
conservative approach before resorting to a radical treatment.

Our bodies are miracles of self healing everyday. The power that made us
in the first place keeps us healthy and restores us every moment of our
lives. Working with this innate intelligence enhances our experience of
life. Stifling symptoms with drugs and cutting out of diseased tissues
is a last resort. This is disease management not “health” care.

It is very important to have faith in your doctor and to trust the care
you are involved with. Our thoughts send changes through the nervous
system and through hormones to every cell in our bodies every second of
our life. The accumulation of these processes truly creates our state of
health. This is why it is important to believe in your doctor and the
care you receive. You must be the captain of your own life and guide the
course you take . Feelings of resignation and hopelessness, resentment,
and anger all translate into your state of health in the long run.

Our bodies give us continuous messages. Some of these messages we listen
to very well. Some of these common messages are hunger, thirst, and
sleepiness. Some messages we tend to ignore if possible. Many of us
have chronic indigestion, we feel chronically stressed, fearful or angry.
Pain can often be ignored when it is a small message. Acute pain sends
us for help in a hurry. If we can stop to listen to the gentler messages
we often won’t have to wait until the message is an emergency. But
frankly, it’s inconvenient to listen to these messages and that’s why
many of us ignore them. We are so busy and we have so much to do that
it’s easier to take a drug to dull the ache or a pill to calm us down or
help us sleep than it is to begin to listen to the wisdom of our bodies.
The day to day busy-ness of our lives can obscure the bigger picture of
our general health. And so, many of us miss the forest because we’re too
busy looking at the tree in front of us.

Sometimes we need some help to restore our health. I practice upper
cervical chiropractic because it has demonstrated to me again and again
that it takes stress out of the nervous system, helping to rebalance it
and enhancing the living of life. People come to my office with many,
many different symptoms, from headaches and dizziness to low back pain,
numbness, tingling, weakness and sciatica. My adjustments are very
gentle without the abrupt twists and thrusts that many people are
concerned about. Chiropractic doesn’t treat the symptoms. It restores
balance to life, and the symptoms, which are messengers of imbalance
resolve naturally. When health is restored, the message given by the
symptom isn’t needed anymore. Chiropractic is truly “health” care and
offers so much to so many people who don’t know where to turn for their
problems.

Doctor comes from the word “docere” which means teacher. The highest
calling of the doctor is to teach people and work with them until they
can together restore their health and then learn to maintain the balance
of health in their lives. The most powerful physician is inside each one
of us. We must begin to learn to listen and heed what our bodies are
telling us every minute of our lives.

What Would Jesus Do?

What Would Jesus Do? (9-16-01)

Michael Thomas, D.C.

I was in the local natural foods grocery store the other day. As I stood at the checkout, a woman I know came up to me and asked me if I was all right. I told her that I was still shaken by the events of the week. I told her that I was also concerned because of events that were occurring on the internet. I am a member of an alternative healthcare practitioner’s network that is global in scope. Healers of all stripes come together to discuss issues of importance to them. Lately the conversation was of course, centered on the horrific tragedy in New York and Washington, D.C. Early after the tragedy, messages were posted encouraging prayer and meditation. Ideas of love and peace were encouraged. Within a day or so however, these voices were drowned out with cries that anyone who could think that Love would help now was at best, an idiot. Soon, any mention of reflection on our own place in the world was countered with accusations of treason. The young man behind the counter looked me in the eye. “You’d better be careful who you talk like that to. I don’t talk about it at all.” He then moved his eyes around furtively making sure no one else had heard our conversation.

Even if we weren’t in New York or Washington, D.C., we hurt. Each of us could feel the world change somehow, not just ‘out there’, but inside us. I watched the events on the television several times and I still couldn’t quite take it all in. I cried tears of devastation, of sadness, of fear. I could taste the bitterness in the back of my throat. I felt rage. I looked at my son and wondered what kind of world he would have to deal with. I felt vulnerable. We have awoken to a terrible evil that had not, as a people, touched us much before. At least we’d not had to look it directly in the eyes. But what is it that we must look at?

The ferreting out of the individuals who perpetrated this hideous action is quickly seen as more complicated than identification of previous ‘enemies’. We realize that we really don’t know much about this part of the world. We immediately resent any implication that we have any responsibility in this situation because when we hear the word responsibility we really think “blame”. But to be “able to respond” is a real necessity in a world as interwoven as ours. The blame in this event lies squarely with those who perpetrated it and whether we catch them or not, they will still have to stand before the Lord one day. In the meantime, we find ourselves in great pain and aching to strike back. It is a natural and human reaction. Our government will direct our military to act. By the time you read this, they may already have. I find myself praying for them all.

I do not have a warrior role in this society. I feel called to act as a healer. My choice has been to try to alleviate suffering in others. I have chosen a life in which I work to follow the teachings of another middle-eastern radical. This one lived two millennia ago and was executed by the local government of the times. Unlike the hatred espoused by the current terrorists, this particular radical taught a path of Love. It was radical Love. He taught that we should love our enemies. He taught that we are forgiven as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Those words may not have seemed so radical in the past, but now they seem almost incomprehensible to so many who are bent on revenge. A United States Senator rages on the floor of the Senate against the acts of terrorism and urges massive military retaliation; innocent civilians be damned. Those who committed the horrific acts of that Tuesday didn’t worry about our civilians and the Senator believes this ‘collateral damage’ is acceptable. A man tries to run down a Pakistani woman with his car, believing this could somehow make up for the tragedy of September 11th. Murders have occurred. A local businessman in our own community tapes a “No Muslims” sign to his front window. Mosques are desecrated all over the country.

Apparently it is okay for some to go to church on Sundays, put a sign of the fish on the bumper, and believe in love and forgiveness until and unless, something ‘real’ happens. Should the Christian attitudes of tolerance and non-judgment then become forgotten? I say no. These qualities are never inappropriate. The courage required however, to live these values in times like this, is immense. It is literally the hardest thing in the world. This radical, Jesus, advised a radical life, a radical love. Who can love like that? Who even wants to try? Who said being a Christian would be easy?

Actions must be taken to safeguard the lives of our people. Horrible things will doubtless be done to horrible people. We will all share in that pain as well. Of equal importance now, and ultimately of much greater importance in the future, there are a multitude of loving and caring actions that need to be undertaken with hundreds of millions of people. There are real relationships to be forged and real needs to be understood. And yes, even some wrongs to be made right. Even if only for our own selfish interest, it is time to respect ways that are not our own. Its time to begin to understand the other people we share this planet with. Even if we as a country, were able go ahead and kill all of the people who already hate us, we would surely have to deal with their vengeful children in twenty years when they finally get old enough to join the family business. These kinds of conflicts can continue for hundreds of years. Look at Northern Ireland. Look at Eastern Europe. Look at the Middle East. Attack and counterattack, ever increasing acrimony and deepening of hatreds, spiraling through decades and even centuries, a self perpetuating pattern of misery and ruined lives. This can’t be what we want for the coming generations.

There is another way. Jesus taught a path of Love. It is not an easy path and it is not, as so many are now saying, a passive path. Being pacific and being passive are not the same thing. Jesus knew his disciples would encounter terribly difficult circumstances. He told them, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.” He also taught them how to act. He said, “Be ye therefore as wise as serpents, and innocent as doves.”
Doves and snakes would certainly seem almost polar opposites in character. How can a person manifest both qualities at the same time? All of us have the Light of God within us. All of us, if we are honest with ourselves, have darkness within us too. It takes great courage to uncover the dark places within us, but when we do, the Light can shine in and create something that is new, a quality of being that is desperately needed now in the world. It is time to rise to our potentials. It is time to dig deep and stretch far. Whenever it is possible, we must use active non-violent resistance to evil. Violence and war increases the separation between the participants and creates more darkness. Love is creative. It engenders great intelligence, and wisdom. It heals wounds and rebinds relationships that hatred has torn asunder. God is an able God. Love is the instrument of His power.

Jesus goes on to say, “When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.” This is the essence of true faith. Now is the time for our faith to manifest in our lives and actions.
It is certainly time to act. But what will our actions create? Do we want to bring on an age of darkness or of light? I know that this sounds unreasonable. I know it flies in the face of conventional knowledge. I know it is not how countries have chosen to act in the past. Last century saw the horrors of two world wars. What will this century bring? What will be your contribution?

My prayer is for the Light of Love, the Power of God, to fill the hearts of everyone on the planet. My prayers are with those who have died, and with their grieving families. My prayers are with those whose lives will be irrevocably changed by coming events. And my prayers are with those whose hearts have turned to stone and who feel nothing but hatred. I pray that love will melt their hatred and that the seeds of true compassion will grow and bear fruit. Amen.

A Chiropractor’s Letter to his Nephew

A Chiropractor’s Letter to His Nephew

Uncle Michael,

I was thinking about being a doctor. My mom was telling me a little about chiropractic and I was wondering if you could write me and tell me how school was and then what you do in general. I am really interested and serious. I want to help people that don’t feel good. I also want to be a medical missionary. My mom told me that you don’t just work on any one area of the body but the physical, emotional and spiritual health. I want some details of what your life is like as a doctor and how you help people. Also, what made you decide to be a chiropractor and not a medical doctor?

Write me soon.

Love,
Little John

Dear John,

I used to think about being a doctor when I was young too. It seemed to me that relieving suffering in others was the best work I could think of. I got a notebook in those days, and decided I would write down all the information about biology and medicine so that when I went to medical school, I would have all the information at my fingertips. My project didn’t last too long because I figured out pretty quickly that there was a LOT of information out there! One notebook wasn’t going to do it.

I kind of lost the idea somewhere once I got to high school. Then I thought I would become an artist. I think it was because I began to realize that there is something deeper in a person than any of the parts that science had found. (True) artists work to communicate their discovery, their vision, of some part of the depths that exist within us all, and share their insight with others. Like all important work, being an artist is a ‘calling’ and at that time it wasn’t strong enough within me for me to sustain. God had something else for me; I just didn’t know what it was.

I found myself in a hard time when I wasn’t sure what was really important anymore. A lot of young people feel lost for a while. Then I took a job as a clerk in the intensive care unit of a local hospital. I saw people who had become very ill. I watched the love and skills of the nurses take impossible situations and transform them with intelligence and compassion and technology. Within two years I had decided to go to nursing school so that I could make more of a difference in people’s lives too.

Working as a nurse in intensive care units and emergency departments gave me an education in many ways. I learned a lot about medicine but even more about people in tough times. It was a real spiritual education. The longer I worked in hospitals though, the more I began to have doubts about the best way to take care of people. As a nurse I had to follow doctor’s orders. In life and death situations, the consequences are enormous. Medicine seemed to believe that we are nothing more than the tissues and fluids of our bodies. My experience told me that we are more than our bodies. I had come to realize that the spirit of God is inside each one of us. I realized that we are whole and complete and that using drugs to turn parts of us off only diminished the expression of our spirits. I was gradually beginning to ‘hear’ what God had in mind for my life.

Please understand that I am grateful to this science of drugs that can save lives in critical times. Medical doctors do so much good work. Drugs can be used to “buy” some time, allowing the Healer that is inside us to help us recover. But I saw people becoming dependant on drugs as an answer. I saw their lives and their expectations diminish. That didn’t seem like the best kind of health care to me. I started to look for another way to help people. I wanted to find a way to work with the Power of Life and not just shut off parts of people.

Your Aunt Bonnie was suffering at that time from terrible headaches. She went to an upper cervical chiropractor and his adjustment made her headaches go away. I was grateful, but what made me begin to look at chiropractic was talking to the chiropractor. He told me that his work was based on the idea of removing interference to the power of life. He said that when the bones in the top of the spine had become misaligned (out of place), it caused problems for the nervous system. The nervous system runs the body, so problems there can be very serious. Gentle and accurate replacement of the bones to their normal position in the top of the spine removed the interference. We don’t have to “make” the body run better, we just have to remove the interference and trust the power of life to restore us to health.

After I learned this, I went on to chiropractic school. School was very intense. It takes four years (after college) to get through chiropractic school. The first year or so is very similar to medical school because we are learning all about the body. Then we began to learn how to take care of people without drugs or surgery. After I finished school I went and worked with another chiropractor so he could teach me even more.

Now we have our own office. Bonnie and I work together to help the people who come to see us. Bonnie talks to everyone on the phone and takes care of all the paperwork. She also talks a lot with the people who come in. She helps to make the office a very special place and many people love her very much. I talk with new patients and tell them what I do. We talk about all the things that have happened to them and I take x-rays of their upper spine and head. They have all kinds of problems. Some problems are up near their heads and necks, like headaches and dizziness, but others are further away, like low back pain, digestive problems, and sciatica (pain that runs down the legs). The way I help them is called an adjustment. It is very gentle and sort of hard to do. That’s why I had to study so long to figure out how to do it! Most people get better pretty quickly. We teach them what they need to know to stay out of the office as much as possible! Doctors are supposed to teach people how to stay healthy. The word ‘doctor’ comes from an old word (docere) that means teacher.

I think we have found a wonderful life. We have been able to help hundreds and hundreds of people. Like your mother said, we try to be of service not just to people’s bodies but also to their emotions and their spirits. Human beings are awesome miracles of God, and helping people to regain their wholeness (the word ‘health’ comes from the same root as ‘whole’) feels like a real blessing everyday.

There are many paths of service to God, and if you meditate and pray, God will show you what he has for you to do. If you are like me, it might take a while, but don’t worry. He’ll let you know at the exact right time. If you want to ask me some more questions, let me know. I love you and I’ve always got time for you.

God Bless,

Uncle Michael

To Forgive Is Divine

To Forgive is Divine
Dr. Michael Thomas

It is said in our prayer that God forgives us just as we forgive others. Jesus forgave those who were involved in his execution. Forgiveness is a very radical act. The word radical has come to have a scurrilous reputation, but it comes from the same meanings as ‘branch’ and ‘root’. Forgiveness is an act that is deeply rooted in the ground of our lives. Vengeance and bitterness are separative and constricting by nature. Alienating. A person who cannot forgive is bound to the past, tied by painful thoughts to memories of people and events; ongoing wounds that never heal.

In the last few decades, we have come to realize that our thoughts and feelings deeply affect our bodies. Over time, our lives are fundamentally changed by our attitudes. Our genetic heritage plays a real part in our lives. Certainly Grace touches us. But our thoughts and feelings are within our ability to manage.

Forgiveness is usually discussed in terms of forgiving others who have wronged us. I would respectfully suggest that first, we must forgive ourselves. If we can’t find the Peace that comes from within us, the Love that is our true Guide, then it is doubtful that our actions will convey it either. This is no invitation to act thoughtlessly or hurtfully and then assume no responsibility. All actions have consequences. We have all thought, said, and done things that have harmed others. We all know right and wrong, and when we look at our lives, we can see that which we have successfully (or unsuccessfully) kept covered from others. If we are trying to be honest with ourselves, we often fall short. And so, forgiveness is an ongoing process. It is humbling. We must turn back to face the Light. We must understand that God forgives us as we are ready to be forgiven. It is that love of a parent for a child; instantly forgiving, a kiss on the forehead and a pat on the rear as they run off to further adventure.

But what is unforgivable? Don’t most of us think some things are unforgivable? Where is that line? I don’t see a qualifier in the Lord’s Prayer. And, what qualifier could be more primary than forgiving the people who are executing you? The Master taught as profoundly from his actions as from his words. The radical forgiveness of Jesus sprang naturally from his embodiment of the most powerful force in all of the universe: Love.

It’s time to examine Love and forgiveness in our lives. As a rule, our social institutions are not very loving, nor are they very forgiving. ‘Zero tolerance’ is described as a kind of ‘tough love’. We do not tend as a society to see the Light of God in each other. We term this the ‘secular’ society. We don’t tend to forgive each other either. Actually, we tend to put each other in prison. In fact, we put more of each other into prisons in this country than any country ever has in the history of the world. Look it up and see if I am right.

I make this plea -We can’t just throw people away. We are all God’s children. And our children… 40,000 children die everyday in the world, mostly of starvation. Even in our own country, the most powerful in the history of the world, one in five children goes to bed hungry at night. There are real connections between all of us. There are terrible disconnections between us that desperately need to be healed.

The more unforgiven territory that lies within us, the more indigestible life becomes. Turning away and putting up walls only makes us unaware, it doesn’t alter the truth. It sickens our society. It sickens us. Forgiveness is radical. It is fundamental. It is God’s Grace. Take a breath. Turn toward God’s Light. Let His Love and forgiveness transform your life. Through your life, Love will touch the world.

The Unseen Order

The Unseen Order

Dr. Michael Thomas

Scientists find themselves in a dilemma. The scientific method has evolved over hundreds (thousands!) of years as the best way we have figured out to systematically understand our universe. But now that we have come so far, our findings have given light to a problem. Actually, it’s a pretty big and disturbing problem. Ninety percent of all matter in the universe is completely invisible to their most sophisticated instruments. Most of what is, cannot be seen or smelled or felt. Scientists know that this invisible, insensible matter exists because of the effect it has on the matter we can see and smell and touch. But, all things being as they may, what we do know (as Einstein remarked) is almost infinitely less than what we do not know.

And so we find ourselves, six and a half billion of us, sustaining ourselves on the crust of a small planet circling around a small star at the edge of one galaxy out of untold numbers that ply their way through the universe. At least this is the story that our best minds have come up with at the current time. If size is important, then we are less than a speck of dust in the immensity of all that we have seen with our telescopes. If length of time is important, we are less than the blink of an eye.

Spiritual insight tells us that what is most important is not seen or tasted or felt. So how can one be aware of it? Do we know God only by reading the Bible? When our pastors talk of spiritual matters, how do they know? How do we know God is? God doesn’t seem to have any height or width or depth. God would seem to have no color or weight. God seems to make no obvious sound that can be heard by everyone. In the physical world we can see churches and temples and mosques. We can read scripture. We have clergy to guide us, but where is God in all of this?

Before Genesis begins, God is. In the first sentence of the Bible, God created the heavens and the earth. Then came the waters of the earth. Light was separated from darkness and the firmament of heaven was created. Dry land was formed and vegetation was created. Day was separated from night and seasons were created. Living creatures were created in the waters and in the air and on the land. Then God said:

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”

And so we are here, six and a half billion of us, each made in the image and likeness of God. If we accept that before anything was created, there was only God, then all of creation has come from God. In this secular, rational world where we are taught that all matter is made of separate atoms and that all things are separate, a creation that is all ultimately one seems foreign to our thoughts. In God’s creation, how can we be anywhere that God isn’t?

Using the scientific method, we make observations with our senses. We gather enough observations to begin to see a pattern. We can then create an idea (hypothesis) of what may be occurring. We test our hypothesis by creating certain conditions that should lead to the result predicted by our hypothesis. If our hypothesis is validated then we have a theory. This theory is then usually tested by others to see if the same result occurs. If the results are validated by others and continue to ‘hold up’ over time, we come to accept this result as ‘truth’. Newton’s Laws of thermodynamics are an example. What you may discern in this explanation of the scientific method is that theories can be disproven by others who are unable to replicate the findings, but ultimate proof is not possible.

The scientific method is responsible for much of the world we now live in. Technology has transformed our lives. The usefulness of this method is undeniable. The problem comes when it is said that this is the only way we can come to knowledge about our universe. The scientific method was so powerful that many people began to say that if something cannot be measured then it doesn’t exist. This leads us back to the beginning of this piece where I noted that over ninety percent of matter is unmeasurable. The idea that we can just dismiss what isn’t measurable is naïve at best.

So, is there another way to know? God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, Elijah heard a still, small voice. Other prophets heard an overwhelming roar. God’s actions were notable in the events of Exodus. Throughout history, others have heard God’s voice through mediation, prayer, solitude and fasting. Jesus spent forty days in solitude in the desert, praying and fasting and returned with a clarity that has changed the whole world.

Our actions stem from our perspective. If we use the scientific method to discern our world from the outside in, we must rely on our senses to literally make “sense” of the world. But when we can become aware of our intimate connection with God, another way of life becomes possible. Is there not a secret place, deep within our hearts where the fire of God burns? Can we not become quiet and begin to hear God’s wisdom for us? So many people pray and pray, telling God so much…. How often do we stop to listen for the answer? How often do we find the space to stop and sit in quiet patience, waiting for God’s word to us? Can we stop the jabber of our minds long enough to glean what the Lord would have us do?

But even if we rarely find the time to sit and pray, let alone meditate, there are still moments that come to us, almost like wisps of fragrant smoke, reminding us of a belonging that we have almost forgotten about. God loves us with an intensity that is unknown between human beings. Unconditional Love is absolute and unrelenting. It is unreasonable. It is omnipotent. It is immeasurable.

These moments of recollection are God’s grace. Many of us are guided by our memories of these moments. There is an old story of a man pounding with both fists on a heavy door, trying to gain access to God. Weary with long effort, and finally exhausted, he turns away from the door and slumps down. As he looks up he realizes that he has been pounding from the inside!

And so there is an inside (spiritual) way to knowledge and an outside (scientific) way. Both are vitally important in all of our lives, but for the outside way to declare that the inside way doesn’t exist, simply betrays those moments of grace that occur to each of us -when we are courageous enough to acknowledge them.

I won’t deny the existence of evil. All of us have seen its horror in countless acts throughout the world, in all times, both individually and collectively throughout history. Each of us has at times known it in our own lives. When we turn away from our heart, we must look at things only from the outside. It’s the only vantage point we have left. We must rely only on reason (which is a step up from primitive instinct). And, using reason, it makes much more sense to take care of one’s self first. Competitive aggression becomes a survival skill. Dog eat dog. Natural Selection. Survival of the fittest.

‘Outside’ thinking misses the essential connection. Think about what Jesus said (Mt:5.38-42):

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.”

This is not rational advice. If most people got this advice from someone else, they would shrug it off as ill advised at best. It is unreasonable advice. It is ‘unrealistic’. Even so, Jesus goes on to enjoin people to:

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt:5.44).

Jesus knew about the inside and outside way of knowing. He said:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other, You cannot serve God and the mammon.” (Mt:6.24) (Note: mammon means: riches, avarice, and worldly gain personified as a false god.)

Ultimately, it is our choice to turn to God or away. How do you turn to God? Jesus answered that question too, later in the same incredible sermon:

“Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock and the door shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” (Mt:7.7-8)

Indeed it is very possible to listen to God’s love for you in you own heart. It’s the best place to hear what God has for you, and, if you can maintain that heart space, you can begin to hear it and see it everywhere. Sometimes a line in a song makes a deep impression in your heart. A stranger might just say something to you. You might read a line in a book. You may hear it in a bird’s call or the rustle of leaves in the trees. Each of us hears God’s call in our own way. Perhaps we are like the story of the blind men and the elephant. In the story, each of the blind men gropes his way into a certain room and feeling with his arms, touches a different part of an elephant. One, who has grasped the trunk, calls out with certainty, “An elephant is like a large rubber hose!” Another, who has come up under the elephant’s belly, reaches up and exclaims that, “The elephant is like the roof of a tent!” The last man, having grabbed a hold of the elephant’s tail announces that an elephant is definitely like a rope.

God touches each one of us. We can each reach out and touch God. Perhaps, because he too was aware of the incomplete nature of our knowledge, Jesus encouraged tolerance. Like the blind men and the elephant, we know what we know, but perhaps we need to hang on to what we “know” a bit loosely, because we don’t know what we don’t know….

(Note: I am grateful for Rachel Naomi Ramen’s retelling of the story of the three blind men and the elephant in her book, My Grandfather’s Blessings. She helped me see this story in a new light.)