Standing on Shoulders
Handstand. Headstand. Shoulder stand? I can easily picture (but not execute) the first two movements. But I recommend that last one be attempted only by an acrobat, a circus performer, or an experienced and strong cheerleader.
Credit goes to Sir Isaac Newton for coining the “standing on shoulders” phrase. It was found in a letter the English scientist wrote, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.” This is a fancier way of saying, “We are who we are because of the hard work of the people who came before us.”
Literally standing on someone else’s shoulders is a difficult feat at best. Figuratively, it may not be a whole lot easier. It is much neater and self-satisfying to give ourselves some credit for our abilities and what we can accomplish. However, we are just building on the gifts, talents, ideas with which we have been blessed: the genetic material we have inherited, passed on from nurturing parents and our gracious God.
Picture with me now, a father figure picking up a young child and swinging the little one up on his shoulders. Some children are very comfortable with this; others are fearful and hang on for dear life to the hair or face of that adult. Some are joyous and amazed at what they can see; others do not like at all the changed view from up there and cry out to be returned to terra firma.
Reasons for placing a little one on this shoulder perch include: transporting a weary child; offering a vantage point for viewing an event; giving the child a sense of what it feels like to walk as an adult in the world.
At times, the child will resist remaining on the shoulders. But when they are placed on the ground, they are unhappy with that as well. This kind of reminds me of my relationship with the Lord. Sometimes I beg to be lifted higher, to ride on His shoulders. But then I become fearful of the height and my ability to live up to His expectations, so I beg to be taken down to what I am familiar with, to rely on my own abilities. Sounds foolish when I see that in writing. Why would I do that? Why are there too many times when I cannot accept God’s help and recognize that all I have comes from His gracious generosity? Is His viewpoint just too much to take or do I fear and resist the responsibility that comes with standing on His shoulders?
How about the times when I am called to be the one who bears others on my shoulders? Even carrying little ones can be exhausting. What about when I am required to shoulder the burdens of others, to share in their sorrow and pain? Do I refuse to shoulder that cross from the get-go, or do I limit how long or how much I am willing to help?
I am writing this meditation on September 14, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It just occurred to me that the sign of the cross is the ultimate depiction of the power of standing on shoulders. Christ our Redeemer gave us the perfect example of love and salvation by offering his shoulders to the cross. I recently read that the most painful physical wound that Jesus bore was to his shoulder, where the weight of the cross was resting. When we take up our own crosses each day, we make our shoulders available for others to stand on while we continue to rely on His amazing shoulders for our strength.
