The Goldilocks Principle

In the story of Goldilocks… Daddy-bear’s porridge is too hot, mummy-bear’s porridge is too cold, baby-bear’s porridge is just right… Daddy-bear’s chair is too hard, mummy-bear’s chair is too soft, baby-bear’s chair is just right… and so on with beds…

I was reading about life on planet earth… If the earth were closer to the sun, it would be too hot; further away, it would be too cold. Astrobiologists call this the ‘Goldilocks principle’ – on earth it’s not too hot, nor too cold – but just right to sustain life.

I’ve met this principle in many areas of life…

In the classroom… presenting the children with a problem or a task that’s too difficult they’ll give up; presenting them with a task that’s too easy they become bored. Pitching  it ‘just right’ the children will be motivated and make progress. The Goldilocks principle…

In medicine… (Layman’s version!) If a patient is given too little of a drug it makes no difference; if they’re given too much it makes them more ill. With the correct dosage of the correct drug, they’ll get better. The Goldilocks principle.

In communication… politicians’ speeches, ministers’ sermons, teachers’ lessons… Too much talk and people get bored, the speaker loses their audience; too little talk and the communication is incomplete and perhaps inaccurate. The good communicator exercises the Goldilocks principle…

One theme that runs through the Bible is how God can be both just and merciful. Justice alone is judgemental, leading to guilt and failure; mercy alone is indulgent, leading to selfishness and anarchy. The Bible presents the Goldilocks principle, showing how God can be both.

This morning I read the story of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. He showed humble servanthood… but too much humility and he’s a powerless doormat that everybody walks over. He showed strong leadership… calling his disciples to follow his example… but leadership that’s only strong can be dictatorship.

Jesus brought together humility and strength, the servant who’s a leader… the Goldilocks principle.