Noses and Nickels

“We’re down to counting noses and nickels,” said the minister describing his once-thriving parish.  New to the expression, I figured out he was talking about the way he measures the health of his parish. After many years of vibrant ministries, it was now about the number of people showing up and money collected.

Not long ago, his was the model parish. With three services on Sundays, a vibrant youth program, visible commitment to the poor, and compassionate understanding of twelve-step recovery, his parish was a seven-days-a-week faith community others imitated. Did things change because something happened, or because he began counting noses and nickels?

How we look at or measure life determines the kind of life we live. Do we look at people, organizations, and ideas from an enlarged or constricted view? Do we see what could be, or what is? The way we measure determines everything.

My measuring techniques vary depending on what surrounds me. When banks change their tune, when others tell me "it will never work," or I get tired and feel like I'm in it alone, it's easy to start counting noses and nickels, but I know we are called to see beyond such things to a more excellent way. Only then can we sail to shores beyond the horizon, work toward goals beyond our grasp, and participate in a dance beyond our creating.