Fireplace

One of the house features that never really made sense in Houston was our fireplace. There were very few times when it was cold enough to even want a fire. Even worse, improper construction of the fireplace led to some other serious problems we had to address. Which made it even more frustrating that our fireplace was really just for decoration.

Now, we have more practical fireplaces in our home. As colder temperatures settle in, we don’t want them to be just for decoration. We want to use them well, as they were intended.

When we first moved in, we had to take the time to understand our fireplaces. We had to learn that priming the flue (so the smoke goes where it’s supposed to) is part of using our wood burning fireplace for more than just decoration.

For our gas fireplace, we also had to replace an important little part so we could actually turn the gas off. Without that repair, it could’ve been dangerous to put our fireplace to practical use!

As we wonder about our principles and the shared values at the heart of Unitarian Universalism, it’s tempting to think aesthetically. What language seems poetic? What words look good on the page or on a website? It could even be an aesthetic question to ask, What ideals resonate deeply with me? if we don’t keep wondering how those ideals guide our behavior.

But our values and covenants aren’t just for decoration. They’re intended to be of use to us. As individuals, and as a community. Which might mean wondering What does this commitment ask of me? How can this value guide my actions in the world?

At a certain level, our values and covenants are aspirational. We aren’t perfect embodiments of our faith tradition. The practical purpose of our values and mutual commitments is to call us forward into a continual journey of becoming. Hopefully, our principles orient us toward a way of being that transforms the world around us toward greater wholeness.

Our values ideally inspire and empower us toward meaningful action. They inform how we show up in our relationships with the rest of the interdependent web of existence. That’s their intended use. But when that seems intimidating or risky, we might be tempted to treat them like they’re just for decoration.

If our principles or values allow us to be content with things just as they are, we might not be casting a big enough vision for the world. Or for ourselves. We may want values and principles that provide a sense of comfort, but we might also wonder how being too comfortable can get in the way of being fully alive.

Which makes me wonder: Is it really our principles or values that most need to evolve? Or is it our relationship with them that needs to mature? Maybe it’s both.