The Baker Who Loved His Bread
Last week, I started a series entitled Living Balanced in Unbalanced Times. Considering what happened in Pennsylvania recently with ex-President Trump and the rest of the victims, maybe this series is a bit prophetic. These are unbalanced, potentially dangerous times for the United States and the world. After all, a house divided against itself cannot stand, at least for long.
Years ago, I was introduced to Tales of the Kingdom, an allegory by David and Karen Mains. All these years, it has been a favorite of mine. Although it was written for children, adults enjoyed the book as much as children. I will always remember one of the chapters in the book The Baker Who Loved His Bread.
If I were the author, I would name it The Baker Who Loved His Bread Too Much. The baker loved his bread so much that he became unbalanced. Bread became his sole obsession. He thought his bread was so good that only the King (God) should eat it. But over time, his magnificent obsession became a maleficent obsession to the point when starving children and poverty-stricken people came to his bakery. He sent them away, thinking, "Let some average bakers feed them. My bread is for the King.”
The baker’s bread became an object of ardent worship; his bread became his identity. His occupation became his preoccupation. Hint: In the long run, when you make a thing, everything, you don't get anything. When you love your bread too much, you become unbalanced. As I said last week, good things, taken to extremes, can become bad things. You just made something more than what it was ever created or meant to be.
Many unbalanced people are leading today in politics, academia, media, business, the arts, and even church, intent on making their selfish interests seem like the national interest at any cost. It's an extreme activism that thrives on keeping its foot on the gas even when it's time to step on the brake. As the old saying goes, everything's a nail when you are a hammer, and you get nailed if you disagree. Their problem is that they expect THEMSELVES out of all the people in the country. I advise you not to put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket.
Here’s some truth from a meme on Facebook for those who love their bread too much. “Not everyone who disagrees with you is a bigot, hates you, has a phobia, is toxic, oppressive, intolerant, or dangerous. Sometimes, people are willing to kindly share the truth with you and disagree with you because they love you enough to do so.” Most times, what you see in others exists in you. You can’t conquer the “enemy” until you conquer yourself.
We’ve all seen imbalances in action in current culture. We’ve seen genuine compassion turn into misguided compassion and consequence-free enablement. We’ve seen liberty turn into license and licentiousness. We’ve seen ‘God is love’ turned into ‘Love is god.’ We’ve seen education turned into indoctrination.
Remember the quote from last week’s article by Bertrand Russell? “When conscious activity is wholly concentrated on (only) one definite purpose, the ultimate result, for most people, is lack of balance accompanied by some form of nervous disorder.” Who caused this kind of shift? Out-of-balance bakers who loved their bread too much.
So, how do we get back to where we once belonged, namely balance? First, we need to have a revelation, an Aha moment, about the pre-requisite of balance. The key to keeping your balance is knowing when you have lost it. Second, we need to understand how balance operates. I’ll quote from last week what Patti Smith said, “In art and dreams, may you proceed with abandon. In life, you may proceed with balance and stealth.” In other words, dream big, but live balanced, and you’ll have a better chance of achieving your big dream and still be at peace with others and yourself.
Consider this wisdom from The Virtue Continuum. On one side of the continuum is deficiency (too little) and excess (too much) on the other. In the center is the balance of the two that keeps us moving forward to our dreams by releasing the power to reach the dreams inside of us.
For example, we have corruption on one side and legalistic control on the other. Both are extremes. Where’s the balance? Integrity is right in between the two extremes. That’s your sweet spot. That’s a win-win for you and everyone else. We have foolishness on one side and judgmentalism on the other. Discernment is in the middle of the two extremes. We have selfishness on one side and enablement on the other. The balance is godly love.
We have disregard on one side and idolatry on the other. Both are extremes. The balance is respect. We have pride on one side and degradation on the other. The balance is humility. Laziness is on one side, workaholism on the other—the balance and where we want to be in the word diligence. Cowardness is on one side, and foolhardiness is on the other. The balance is courage.
Discovering the center isn't a compromise. It is wisdom, authentic unity, and working from a position of strength, not weakness.
So, what happened to that baker who loved his bread too much? I’ll quote David and Karen Mains. “And the baker discovered that one could love the work of one’s hands too much and should always love one’s King (God) more. Love for the King is measured by one’s love for the King’s people. So, the baker fed the hungry and fed them well – lest the One he loved the most should starve.
But wait, there’s more next week, and you’ll love it.
Ed Delph/July 22, 2024/CCC Part two