Many years ago, I discovered an artist and storyteller named Brian Andreas. Perhaps you know his work or even subscribe to his daily story. He makes interesting “people sculptures” out of wood and tin in an exploration of what he calls “the human community.”

We have one in our foyer that I see every time I come and go from my home. It is a reminder of what God and the universe expect of me. It says:

In my dream, the angel shrugged and said, if we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination, and then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand.

A purposeful life

What if our collective purpose is to use the imagination that we have been given to help create a better world? And when we don’t succeed, it’s probably because we forgot to use our imagination, didn’t use it wisely, or it got interrupted, derailed, sidetracked, or intercepted.

When, for whatever reason, our purpose is blocked, we need to hit the “reset” button and try again - perhaps, changing our strategy or approach. You know the old saying attributed to Albert Einstein: "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results." I think that as we emerge from our COVID quarantine, we’re going to be called to use our individual and collective imaginations to help create a more nimble, just, compassionate, and connected — but smarter — world.

Brian Andreas _ In my dream the angel shrugged

One of my teachers, Frederick Buechner, described purpose as vocation (vocare), or the intersection of your passion with the world’s need. That’s also a good way to think about purpose or intention. Judaism defines such purpose as Tikkun olam, “to repair the world.”

Discerning our vocation - finding one’s purpose - is part of our role in repairing the world. For some people, that will include helping find the cure for COVID-19. For others, that will mean building stronger communities, helping our neighbors. That’s our life’s work.

If you follow me on Facebook, you know that I’ve come to really like jigsaw puzzles. They’ve become part of my brain health protocol. I think discerning one’s vocation, finding one’s purpose in life, is a lot like a jigsaw puzzle. We find the pieces and then put them together.

We take our natural gifts, strengths, and talents and pair them up with our interests and the world’s needs. And then go to work. As my friend Rosie Grant taught me: “It’s about asking the right question,” and then listening hard for the answer.

We can’t have it all.
We can’t do it all.
There’s simply not enough time and energy.
So, we have to make choices and compromises in our lives.
But . . . everyone can have a vocation. It’s never too late.

And you know what?
You can have several chapters in your vocation.
You can have a few vocations in your life’s work.

I’ve spent a lot of my life wrestling with the universe over my vocation, my purpose. I felt called to ordained ministry as a youth, but as a child of an interfaith marriage, I couldn’t decide whether I should be a rabbi or a minister. Eventually, I went to the Union Theological Seminary in NYC to figure it out. On the day of registration for my second semester, I had a conversation in a McDonald’s restaurant on 42nd Street with an internal voice that I call “God.”

And when I asked the voice inside of me, the voice of wisdom that I believe resides in all of us, “Why me?” The voice responded: “because you’ve been asking and seeking.” Purpose doesn’t just come to us; we have to look for it, like a pearl.

Your purpose does not have to be something huge or grandiose. It can be as complex as creating and distributing the COVID-19 vaccine, or as simple as checking in on your elderly neighbors. It can even be both

For over 30 years, I followed the voice I heard in McDonald’s as a priest in the Episcopal Church. The voice led me to the South Bronx, Paterson, NJ and eventually to Cleveland. It led me to work for justice, seek interfaith understanding, and challenge organized religion to pay attention to those on the edge.

Then, on Election Day 2016 (a bad day all around), at the age of 62, I was diagnosed with early-stage dementia, caused by Frontotemporal Degeneration. My doctor told me that if my condition followed its usual course, eventually I would become unable to speak, write, read, and understand language, and then I would likely be unable to swallow, and then I would die.

My career came to a crashing halt, and I’ve spent the past three years coming to terms with that and sharing my experiences living with dementia, attempting to destigmatize this dreaded disease and make meaning of it. This is not a vocation of purpose that I would have imagined, but in the process, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve changed my lifestyle in an effort to manage my dementia as a chronic condition rather than a terminal illness. I’ve met some wonderful new friends and traveled to lots of great places.

And then came COVID-19

COVID-19 has imposed another sudden interruption, bringing a stop to all of our speaking engagements and travels. Come to think about, it’s imposed a stop in my local wanderings as well. COVID-19 has imposed a global stop - a break on life as we all know it.

As awful as it’s been and will continue to be for many, COVID-19 has actually imposed a sabbath on the world, an invitation to pause and breathe.

Have you noticed how much clearer the sky is? Have you read about the reduction in environmental pollution and probably some global warming? I don’t want to make light of what is happening for:

Those who are sick and dying
Those on the frontlines trying to save lives and serve daily life
Those who have lost loved ones, incomes, and ways of living
Those who are frightened and confused

While I don’t want to make light of what is happening, I also see something new trying to be born. We are in the midst of a great emptying of our old way of being in the world, a gestation time for a new birth.

“Why waste a good crisis?”

I don’t know who first said those words, but I think she captured some real truth. This is a global crisis that invites all of us to find new purpose. COVID-19 challenges all of us to discover new ways of being in the world. And that’s going to require all kinds of new ideas. New ways of gathering with safe distancing. New ways of operating retail shops. New ways of bringing art, education, commerce and community alive.

Finding purpose anew

I have a friend who is a hospital chaplain. She was burned out, ready to retire. COVID 19 happened and re-invigorated her vocation. She recently said to me, “Now I know why I’m here doing what I do.”

Bernard Colton, a 9th Ward New Orleans grocery store owner, recently told a news reporter, “I found my purpose and my purpose is service.”

And then there’s my very young friend Henry. He’s not afraid of the complicated future he and others of his generation are facing. He’s going to use his intellect to find solutions to the problems of our fragile earth.

Just like the words printed on my Brian Andreas sculpture: “In my dream, the angel shrugged & said, if we fail this time, it will be a failure of imagination & then she placed the world gently in the palm of my hand.”

I hope you will join me in considering anew:

What’s your purpose - your vocation?
How will this interruption, the pause and breath of COVID 19, impact it?
What will you carry or let go of when the world re-opens and you leave your quarantine?
How will you spend the rest of your crazy and wonderful life?

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Suggested Reading:
A Life at Work - Thomas Moore
A Life of Being, Having and Doing Enough - Wayne Muller
Let Your Life Speak - Parker Palmer
Falling Upward - Richard Rohr
Encore - Marc Freedman