Power, according to Jesus and the Trinity, is not something to be “grasped at” (see Philippians 2:6-7). I don’t need to cling to my title, my uniform, my authorship, or whatever other trappings I use to make myself feel powerful and important. Waking up inside the Trinitarian dance, I realize that all of this is rather unimportant; in fact, it’s often pretense that keeps me from my True Self and gets in the way of honesty, vulnerability, and community.
We all already have our power (dynamis) within us and between us—in fact, Jesus assures us that we are “clothed” in it (see Luke 24:49)! Trinity, the primal and ultimate Source, begins creation by releasing that which empowers everything else: “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3).
It seems to me that the only people who can handle power well are those who don’t need it too much, those who can equally let go of it and share it. The only people who can handle power are those who have made journeys through powerlessness. Most others seem to abuse it. This wisdom comes from universally practiced male initiation rites. [1] [Those] who too easily acquire power, invariably use it for their own purposes of advancement, seldom for the common good. Only love can safely handle power.
Shared power is not the language of corporate America or the wealthy one percent. Surrender, yielding, trusting, and giving are never going to appeal to the ego. We have to be taught this deeper wisdom soon or civilization will continue its rapid downward spiral.
The key, of course, is to Whom we are surrendering: a Trinitarian God. The life of faith is learning how to rest in an Ultimate Love and how to draw upon an Infinite Source. On a very practical level, you will then be able to trust that you are being held and guided. In fact, you can trust after a while that almost everything is a kind of guidance.
When you doubt the possibility of guidance, you’ve just stopped the flow. But if you stay on the path of allowing and trusting, the Spirit in you will allow you to confidently surrender: There’s a reason for this. God is in this, too.
Please don’t hear me as adopting a fatalistic approach, as though you can’t work to change or improve your situation. Quite the contrary—you can. But I am saying that what first comes to your heart and soul must be a yes instead of a no, trust instead of resistance. When you can lead with yes and allow yourself to see God in all moments, you’ll recognize that nothing is ever wasted. Trinity is in the business of generating life and light from all situations, even the bad and sinful ones.
~Adapted from Richard Rohr with Mike Morrell, The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (Whitaker House: 2016), 96-98.
[1] See Richard Rohr, Adam’s Return: The Five Promises of Male Initiation (The Crossroad Publishing Company: 2004).
