This post is an afterthought comment on my last three blogs.
Two weeks ago I wrote about being redirected while running and my subsequent encounter with a ‘rough looking’ character while I was in a pretty sweaty, smelly state myself!. The point I made was that our Father sees beyond the ‘roughness of the diamond’ to the jewel he has created hidden deeply within each one of us.
Then after writing last week’s blog, re-reading it a few days later, I had “blogger’s regret” …..Alas! – too late to edit, as most of you had already read it!
There was one critical word I would have changed. Instead of using the word “Humility” to describe the brothers I regularly meet with, I would have better used the word, “Humbled”
As I reflected on each of their stories I realized that the humility (that is indeed present in good measure) was not something that they had innately.
Rather, each one had a unique story of incredible human suffering, but instead of being ‘broken apart’ by these experiences they each had been ‘broken open’…. to discover, receive and manifest the grace of God in the midst of their acknowledged weakness.
One of them commented that the scripture I had used to title the blog 3 weeks ago “Be Still And Know That I Am God.” could equally well be translated, “Be WEAK And Know That I Am God.”
So today when I was out running, the title and illustration for this blog on this same theme came, as I noticed the flower pictured above that had fallen onto the path;
A glorious purple thistle bursting forth out of it’s painfully prickly bud!
……………..for in life isn’t this how it often is?
The BEAUTY of Christ bursting forth in some incredibly BEASTly situations!
We had a rather beastly situation this week when I ran into another car….my fault completely! As the other driver, who I saw was an Asian Hindu, got out to inspect the scratches on his car, he looked at me and waving said….
“Go on!”
“Thank you!“ I said, shaking his hand and looking into his eyes.
“You are a good man!”
His wife, however, with a Bindi on her forehead, then jumped out of the car to take a look. She was obviously not so sure, and clearly objected to his kindness in no uncertain terms (except to me who did not know their native language!) Dismissing her protestations her husband turned again to me and said emphatically,
“Go on!…..YOU REMIND ME OF MY FATHER!….Just drive on!”
As I pondered this afterwards I sensed his forgiving spirit was not necessarily just because of a human resemblance, but because he had been given to see by his ‘Father in heaven’ “The Christ; the Son of the living God.” in me!
……….which was why I reminded him
……….of his, and my loving heavenly Father.
As I did drive on I realized I had in the midst of St. Paul, surrounded by angry unforgiving motorists blowing their horns at our two cars sitting awkwardly at a busy junction, been briefly transported back to my men’s group as this total ‘stranger’ also opened up to “the Spirit of truth” in the midst of a painful situation – seeing Beauty in the Beast.