Dancing in the margin.

The minister met his trusted friend each Tuesday to discuss the week’s sermon. After describing what he was planning to say on Sunday, about living lives of gratitude, his friend asked if he was going to mention being grateful for the challenges and difficulties of life. After an awkward pause, the minister replied: “Well, it’s not in my outline.”

They both laughed, knowing how often the important things are not in our outlines. Whether in the pulpit, at a kitchen table, or on a walk, some of the most important things we need to say are not in our outlines. No matter how carefully we plan what we want to say, we leave out what we need to say. With outlines all neat and tidy, sometimes the most important things are scribbled in the margins.

The same is true not only of the things said, but also the lives we live. No matter how hard we plan our lives, how much we anticipate, some of the most important things happen in between our scheduled lives. Whether a call from a doctor, a “you have a second?” from a boss, or “we need to talk” from a spouse, our scripted plans are often interrupted, forcing us to leave our outlines.

In all my insecurities and fears, I long for outlines. What will this week be like? Who are my children becoming? What will I make of my life? Answers would be so comforting, but life would lose much of it’s magic. Like the wise member of AA who said that had he written down all his dreams when he first got sober he would have sold himself woefully short, my plans could be far short of what God intends.

As much as I want to create and stick to an outline, such a life would become a military march. Better to live in the in-between spaces and dance in the margins.