“We don’t have to understand a crowbar before we put it to use.
Understanding comes with use.”1
—Eugene Peterson
The sentence made me laugh. At no time in my life—as a seminary student, pastor, or professor—did I ever think about a crowbar as a metaphor for any part of the spiritual life. A crowbar, as I used it, was for the only construction skill I possess: demolition. I am not a builder, but I can take things apart. My college roommate and I once worked for ManPower on a Saturday morning, disassembling a bakery oven in a local grocery store. We became covered in flour and crumbs from its years of use. It took us almost all day, but we didn’t use a crowbar.
