Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

The Crossroad Where Jesus Waits

 

Man walking on Bible

Choices. My choices. Your choices.

They are not separate and apart.

It is not about me; it is not about you.

My life affects you as yours impacts me.

Though our paths are different,

We meet at the crossroad

Where Jesus waits.

That crossroad in our lives, where we will meet each other heart-to-heart and soul-to-soul, is the place of worship, the place of prayer, the place of tears and joy, the place of redemption. What we bring with us to that meeting place can be a positive or a negative exchange of influence. Will we bring encouragement, joy, burdens, weariness, sadness, hope, love, sorrow, loss, peace? Whatever we bring, there will be an effect on our Christian brothers and sisters, on our children and grandchildren, on our families, on all those we encounter. There will be an impact on our worship, on our fellowship, on our singing, on our hearing and listening, on our reading of the Word, on our prayers. There will be an influence we will take with us as we leave to follow our own paths and make our choices in life.

These life choices are so important. They should be thoughtfully considered. They must be prayerfully brought to the Lord. Your choice may save a soul, leading the way to Jesus. My choice may cause someone to stumble and wander away from the crossroad, lost. I may affect your choice in some way, and you might impact mine. We share responsibility toward each other.

God gave us choice in this earthly life. We can be deliberate in trying to make the right decisions on our life journey as we meet others, or we can be selfish in choosing what we want as if we are on a solitary path, affecting only ourselves. Such a lone path does not exist. There is always a place where paths intersect, and even, at times, follow parallel lines, side by side, before truly joining at the crossroad where Jesus waits.

Let us carry Light with us on every path, every intersection, and every encounter. It is my choice. It is your choice. The choice we have is to meet Jesus and take Him with us on our path through life–or pass on by without Him. We are each at the crossroad daily, with every choice we make.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. ” (Matthew 5:13-16)

God gave us choice in this life.

Will we meet Him?

Where He waits for us?

At the crossroad of every choice?

    (Sharon G. Tate blog 07/24/16) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

 

TeacherStudent

The Artistry of God

God making everything beautiful men cannot fathom

Drawing the earth with His finger

Splashing colors on the canvas–

Blue and green, yellow and almond,

Orange and purple, crimson and white,

Spinning the wheel, colors from colors.

Rainbow arcs, Aurora Borealis dances.

Awakening dawn, sunset aglow.

Our Creator, with His palette.

Are we in awe of our God’s artistry? Have we thanked Him for the vibrant colors He created for us to enjoy? Do we stop—look– and see? Or do we walk by, gazing down at our phones, and miss the beauty all around us?

I recently watched a video about real people who were color blind. They were each given a pair of glasses made by EnChroma, which allowed them to see all the tones of color. The expressions of joy, amazement, surprise, and awe on their faces as they saw all the diverse hues for the first time was inspiring. One man exclaimed in excitement: “Is this what you see all the time!”¹

Maybe that is our problem, those of us who are not color blind. We can view all the colors all the time, so we may take this gift for granted and disregard the moments of pure joy, amazement, surprise, or awe that could have been. How can we recapture the “first time” views of what those people saw in God’s creation?

 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish in the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind. (Job 12:7-10)

 11 Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
let the sea resound, and all that is in it.
12 Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
let all the trees of the forest sing for joy. (Psalm 96: 11-12)

 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands. (Psalm 19:1)

Yes, this is what we see all the time. Rejoice, be glad, be jubilant, sing for joy. God is ever-present in His creation, surrounding us with shades, tints, dyes, and hues in a continuum of color. Stand in awe before the canvas. Be in awe of the Artist.

He has made everything beautiful in its time.(Ecclesiastes 3:11)

¹Playground video made by EnChroma

(Sharon G. Tate blog 07/17/16) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

GOD-PRESENCE is Ever Present

God-is-Present

***************************************

A fun, but long day with the grandkids, a one more kiss and two more hugs parting, and then off in the car for the two and a half hour drive home. It was about 6:30pm and starting to sprinkle. Within an hour, the sky had darkened due to the coming rainstorm. The drizzle soon became a downpour.

The vehicle in front of me was continually changing speeds, slowing down and speeding up erratically. The rain wasn’t coming down as hard, so I decided to move away from this driver. Looking behind me, all I saw in the left lane was wet pavement and rain; in my lane, water was rising off the road from the cars farther back. All clear.

I began to swerve over to the other lane to pass, looked to my side—and suddenly saw a very low, sleek black sports car a few inches from the bottom of my window, right next to me. Swerving quickly back to the lane I started from, I avoided a crash, while the other vehicle sped ahead, the water from the road gushing up behind its black body with no visible eyes. The driver never had his lights on, and he did not put them on as he moved forward, a blur of water rising off the road, merging with the coming darkness.

***************************************

Moments like these make us more aware of God-Presence. It seemed surreal to look over my left shoulder and see that vehicle so close to me. Yet, even while sensing the danger and making the instinctual move to swerve back, there was this other sense happening, the God-Sense. He was there, the barrier of protection I didn’t see but felt. Even after, He was there, calming my heartbeat, my anxiety, my “what if” thoughts. I drove on—in the right lane.

Can we possibly recall all the times when the “what if” could have happened—but didn’t?  Was it God-Presence there with us? What about the times when the “what if” did happen? Did we perceive the unseen “Sixth Sense” during these occurrences?  John tells us, “God is Spirit…” (John 44:24)

 God-Presence was promised to Moses and the Israelites:

 “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” (Exodus 33:14)

God-Presence is promised to us as we come together in His Name:

For where two or And He said, three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20)

God-Presence is present with us everywhere:

23 “Am I a God near at hand,” says the Lord, “And not a God afar off?
24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the Lord;
“Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 23:23-24)

God-Presence is with us through life and death:

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil; For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)

God-Presence cannot be circumvented, avoided, or evaded:

David asks these questions of the Lord regarding His presence, fully knowing the answers: “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? (Psalm 139:7)

Praise God for His Presence in our lives– in moments when we are not fully aware, in times when we earnestly seek Him in prayer, and during the “what ifs” when we truly despair. We are in need of His Presence daily in our lives to give us wisdom, strength, courage, and instinct to confront the “black vehicles” that come so very close to our paths, attempting to draw us into the darkness. God’s Light delivers us and sustains us more often than we  will ever know.

     Thank you, Lord, for Your ever-abiding Presence in our lives. Amen.

(Sharon G. Tate blog 07/10/16) teacherforjesus.com Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

Freedom in Christ–With Wings like Eagles

eagles soaring

But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. 

(Isaiah 40:31)

**********************************************************

Trees were falling, broken and wounded. The machine, crushing through a densely wooded area, dropping pines and poplars in its path, shifted forward—but, then, suddenly stopped, idling in neutral, before one dead and worthless tree, leaving it standing, as the engine roared and the machine moved ahead, felling more trees.

In the early evening, when the machine rested, an eagle came and perched at the top of this one tree that stood out against the small buffer line remaining of the once dense woods. Perhaps, there had been a nest in a nearby tree that was taken for harvesting. No nest was visible now, no eaglets ready to be born. The eagle, majestic atop the barren tree, seemed to stare intently at the surrounding land, surmising the loss. It remained in this lofty position for what seemed a lengthy time before it, finally, let go of its hold and flew away, not looking back.

eagle in dead tree

Watching this scene from the drive by my home, it felt like I was viewing a symbolic enactment: The bald eagle, our national emblem, surveying the devastation; trees felled by a machine; a nest of baby eaglets possibly destroyed; nature harvested for money; beauty salvaged without conscience; a young man with goggles, vision somewhat blurred, maneuvering a machine capable of destroying the present and the future; man, the driving force behind it all. It seemed like a warning, one that we have disregarded with careless neglect and indifference to the negative effects we can impose on our present and our future worlds.

As I watched this scene play out, I recalled another warning that was unheeded:

34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 35 Look, your house is left to you desolate. I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’” (Luke 13:34-35)

A disregarded warning, affecting both the present and the future–Jerusalem was destroyed.

And what of America? Will we continue to care more about money and greed than our young and our unborn? Will we not tend and nurture this world which God gave to us as its caretakers? Will we allow technology to blur our moral conscience? Will we continue to disregard the offer of Jesus to come onto Him, to follow Him, to obey Him, to allow Him to take us under His arms of protection?  Do we, in this country, have this same rebuke: “You were not willing.” Will we, in this country, have this same end: “Look, your house is left to you desolate.”

 “The eagle represents freedom. Living as he does on the tops of lofty mountains, amid the solitary grandeur of Nature, he has unlimited freedom, whether with strong pinions he sweeps into the valleys below, or upward into the boundless spaces beyond.” ¹

We, too, can have freedom in Jesus who set us free from a dead tree, the cross. On this Fourth of July, a day designated to remember and celebrate our independence, let us pray that we will not merely perch and sit and sit in a worried state of mind over the fate of this nation, but let us instead, like the eagle who did not dwell in that dead tree, take action, move forward, and “mount up with wings like eagles…run and not be weary…walk and not faint.” We are the ones who can make positive changes in our world, through our daily walk with the Lord, who did not stay on the tree but arose and yet lives that we might be free.

 ¹ baldeagleinfo.com

(Sharon G. Tate blog 07/03/16) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

Brother to Brother, Sister to Sister, Brother to Sister-Together in the Lord

Cast worries on Jesus

6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (I Peter 5:6-7)

*********************************************

It’s raining out. The window panes are splattered with drops streaming down the glass. Reaching out to feel the flow, wiping away the moisture smearing the view, the rain on the other side cannot be touched, cannot empathize.

Alone: It’s raining out. The panes are blurred, obscuring vision. Reaching out to touch the flow, wiping away the moisture smearing the view, the rain on the inside seeps through, tears streaming over reddened eyes.

With God’s family: It’s pouring out. The rain flows from eye to eye, in empathetic tears, one to another, sorrow shrouded in an outpour of love. Brother to brother, sister to sister, brother to sister, mingling hearts, sharing teardrops in the embrace.

Jesus in our midst: It’s shining out. The Son wipes away the moisture smearing the view, soothing the flow, offering hope, giving relief as He enters the embrace. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Together in the Lord: It’s raining out. Eyes moist with tears that cleanse and clear the view to the Son who lights the way. Following when we don’t fully understand the journey, down a path only He knows. Sharing it together– brother to brother, sister to sister, brother to sister.

“Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

***************************************************

It’s shining out, behind the clouds, through the rain. Though our burdens seem great, they are never too much for the Lord. His Light– breaking through the darkest day and the blackest night, the deepest fear and the loneliest heartache—touches the hurting, with empathy and love.

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

(Sharon G. Tate blog 06/26/16) teacherforjesus.com Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

Walking as He Walked

FOLLOW+JESUS footprints

 “Whoever says he abides in Him ought to walk in the same way in which He walked.”

(I John 2:6)

Shoe prints, extra-large, sinking in the sand, moving ahead.  Shoe prints, extra-small, awkwardly  following, lagging behind.  Extra-small stepping inside extra-large, fully encompassed by the mold. Extra-large stopping to allow extra- small more time to follow in the footsteps, in the path ahead.

Shoe prints, extra -large, next to shoe prints, extra-large. Walking together. Old impressions, lingering beneath the sand.  Sifting memories, little time left.

Shoe prints, extra- large, imprinted in the sand, moving ahead.  Shoe prints, extra- small, awkwardly walking, falling behind.  Extra -small trying to step inside extra -large, engulfed by the mold. Extra- large stopping to allow extra- small more time to follow in the footsteps, in the path ahead.

footprints following dad

*****************************************************

“My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” 1

What will the child see as he watches the father? Where will the footprints take the child who follows the father’s path?  The little one who looks down, imagining when he can wear those extra-large shoes, trying them on for size by placing his own extra-small feet inside them, trusts that the father will lead him in the right direction. The path he follows, from his father’s example, will be the path he will show his own child. Footprints in time. Shifting sands. Impressions remain.

“One night a father overheard his son pray: ‘Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is.’Later that night, the Father prayed, ‘Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son wants me to be.’” 2

  ********************************************************

Footprints, sinking deeper, weighted down.  Carrying the burden, ‘til lifted up.  Fulfilling the Father’s plan.  Walking the walk to the cross.

And the fathers pray, “Dear God, help us follow in His footprints. Make us the kind of men who walk with the Son to fulfill the plan of the Father. Help us teach and show our children where the footprints lead—to the path of service, sacrifice, and salvation. May our walk be Your walk.  Amen.”

1Clarence Budington Kelland, U.S. Writer. brainyquotes.com

2Anonymous. www.quotes.thinkexist.com

(Sharon G. Tate blog 06/19/16) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

Redemptive Cleansing: “Be Still — and Know that I AM GOD”

 Refuge and strength

 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God;

believe also in Me.” (John 14:1)

*********************************************

Walking along the path, hands in pockets, head down, thinking too many thoughts, worrying too many worries, nothing being solved, no one offering  help. . .  He was ready to turn back—until he saw it, the flower. “How could it just grow out of a crack in the rock like that?” he thought. “How could it even survive? Why would it want to?”

The winds picked up just then as drops of rain began falling. He drew his   jacket around himself. Gusts blew the little flower sideways, back and forth, as the rain, now in sheets, pummeled the petals, again and again. Holding onto life deep within the crack, no one offering help, its grip began to weaken.

No longer able to watch this relentless beating, the man looked up into the heavens and made a decision. Taking off his jacket, holding it carefully over the little flower, he drew the storm onto himself.

As the rains dripped to a mist and the winds calmed to a slight breeze, the man, drenched and cold, gently lifted the jacket away from the little flower. Beautifully glazed with drops of rain, the flower had lifted taller than before, it seemed.

He left it there, to bask in the sun emerging through the clouds. The raindrops glistened, a shining gleam, a flower smile to the sun touching its petals. It was the first time he had stopped to notice such a small, living thing. It was the first time he had protected a life beyond himself.

Leaving the path, hands in motion, head up, looking all around him, then casting his eyes upward, he saw the solution.

Someone was offering help. God had been there all along.

******************************************

 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

(Psalm 18:2)

The smallest gift from God can, often, be the redemptive cleansing we need to give us hope, strength, and conviction to reach beyond self and extend a hand—or a jacket– to others in need.

Looking down, hands in pockets, dwelling inside our own thoughts and worries, doesn’t allow access to the view we need to take in the beauty all around us, even in the cracks of rocks that seem too barren to sustain any growth.

The flower that blooms forth from such a crack in our own self-pity, inner fears, drowning doubts, and wind-blown hopes can be sustained and grow taller when we bask in the Light of the Son who is our fortress against all storms, within and without, that may assail against us.

 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.

(Psalm 46:1)

   “Be still, and know that I am God.”
    (Psalm 46:10) 

 

(Sharon G. Tate blog 06/12/16) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

LIVING THE COMMAND: LOVING ONE ANOTHER

love one another crosses

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.              

(John 13:34-35)

****************************************************

The man strolled slowly down the river walkway. An older woman with the letter A on her coat approached him, hurriedly passing by, looking slightly confused and fearful. He wondered if he should follow her, but then heard a younger woman, wearing the letter D, calling out to her–“Mother!”

The man continued on his walk, encountering many people with different letters stitched, embroidered, painted, or embossed on their jackets. There was the young boy with the letter T, jerking his head in uncontrolled movements; the young girl with the letters DS, laughing spontaneously with eyes unfocused, one drooping down; the teenager with the letters OA, nervously pacing, sweating, wringing his hands, a glazed look in his eyes; the elderly grandmother with the letters RA, stooped, gripping a cane with gnarled fingers, using the other hand to hold onto a small child with no hair who wore the letter C. And many others, all the letters of the alphabet, until he reached his apartment door, unlocking it to face the hallway mirror and his own letters—HD. His breathing was somewhat labored from his walk, so he sat down in his recliner to rest. Then, he prayed for A, D, T, DS, OA, RA, C, and all the other letters he encountered on today’s journey.

****************************************************************

**What if our suffering was literally “worn on our sleeve” for all to see? No longer hidden, no invisible diseases, no one hiding behind “I’m fine.” The alphabet we would all know on sight would include A for Alzheimer’s, D for diabetes, T for Tourette’s, DS for Down’s Syndrome, OA for Opioid Addiction, RA for Rheumatoid Arthritis, C for Cancer, HD for Heart Disease, and more and more. . .

If we could see more visibly the problems others face, would we be more understanding? Would we have greater empathy? Would we see that maybe our own problems are much less when compared with those around us? Would we have more joy? Would we pray more often for others?

The eyes of God see all the letters of this “alphabet” of disease and suffering, spread across the entire human race. His omniscience allows Him a depth of vision to our heart, our soul, and our very being. He knows what we are going through, individually and personally, and He sees what we may try to hide before others and even ourselves.

12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:12-13).

Maybe if we weren’t so concerned with what others would think about us if they knew our “letters,” there would be an openness and acceptance toward each other that could give us all a glimpse of heaven on this earth.

12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. (Colossians 3:12)

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3-4)

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:1-2)

LIVING THE COMMAND: LOVING ONE ANOTHER

(Sharon G. Tate blog 06/05/16)  teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

The Ultimate Sacrifice: Voices Silenced…Voices Still Heard

Salvation

Knowing. Most people do not know when they are going to die, but there is One who did. Jesus Christ knew that His part in God’s plan meant the ultimate sacrifice for a human, the form He had on this earth. He must give His life so that we, the rest of mankind, might have life eternal. There was no other option. Christ prayed in the Garden:  “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). But Jesus knew His Father’s will, the plan from the beginning, would prevail, and He would fulfill the needed sacrifice.

Knowing. What would it be like to “know” the fate that awaits us in this life? The inner controversy over knowing one’s genome history and testing for predictive disease like Alzheimer’s or pancreatic cancer involves the question we would have to answer: “Do we really want to know it will happen to us at some time in our lives?” For many, this might be a looming dread, affecting every day forward from the point of awareness. For others, it could be a positive affirmation to live life more completely and appreciate every day given. Knowing could make us more fearful and vulnerable–or knowing could make us more purposeful in our life journey.

Knowing. Our Lord made His earthly life purposeful, with God’s purpose, knowing what was to come. He shared and taught His Truth and mentored the disciples to follow His lead. He healed the sick, gave the example of prayer, and took time to pray alone with the Father. He cared for His friends and wept with them when a family member died. He loved us all, even those who were not yet born.

Knowing.  Jesus knew His task on this earth and questioned His earthly parents who were looking for Him, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49). He knew the plan, for He was in the beginning with God:  “ 1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In Him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it… 14 The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-5,14). His task on earth was to teach God’s Truth and give the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom from sin that we might have everlasting life with Him.

Knowing. Soldiers who go to war also know they might have to make this ultimate sacrifice to help secure the freedom of others-loved ones, acquaintances, strangers, and those not yet born. We designate a Memorial Day every May to remember their sacrifices. Like Christ, they are not really dead, for they speak to us through the freedom we have from their final bequest—their lives.

ArlingtonCemetery

“Are they dead that yet speak louder than we can speak, and a more universal language? Are they dead that yet act? Are they dead that yet move upon society and inspire the people with nobler motives and more heroic patriotism?” ¹

Knowing. We know, through faith, that Christ lives and still inspires us to strive toward His higher purposes. And we praise and thank Him. We know, through our experience in this earthly realm, that fallen soldiers live through the legacy of freedom that they bestow to us. And we thank them.

The Ultimate Sacrifice: Voices Still Heard

     In Remembrance

 

¹Beecher, Henry Ward. http://www.goodreads.com/quotes

(Sharon G. Tate blog 05/29/16)  teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word

TeacherStudent

“. . .for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” : Seeing With the Eyes of a Child

Old-Man-and-Child

The man walks into the assembly minutes before church service is about to begin, quickly sitting down in an empty pew at the back of the auditorium. He fumbles with his coat and hat, accidentally knocking a hymnal to the floor.  Heads turn to look. Whispers. ..

“Do you know him?”

“No, do you?”

More heads turn– some smile, others just catch a glimpse of the stranger and quickly look ahead again.

“Who’s that man, mommy”

“Ssh, just turn around and be quiet.”

The child sneaks another peek over her mother’s shoulder, smiling at the man, who returns the smile.

After services, the man, again, fumbles with his coat and hat. The child walks up to help him. They smile at each other, not speaking. Some of the church members walk past the man and say nothing. A few nod their heads to him in passing, while talking with regular members. Others approach him with greetings, “Good to have you here. Where are you from?” They shake his hand–not noticing.

The man doesn’t say much in response. “From around here, not far from the church building. Just thought- I would come today.”

“We’re glad you did. Be sure to come back.”

“Yes, please do come back.”

The voices follow him as he leaves. The child, also, follows him. He stops to look down at the little girl and gently pats her head. She is watching his hands.

“Do they hurt?”

Scars. Wounds. From when? From where?

“Sometimes they do, little girl. They did today.”

“Mommy kisses my ouches when they hurt.”

“Well, I don’t have a mommy anymore.”

The little girl grasps both his hands and kisses them before running away toward her mother’s call, stealing a look back, smiling.

Holding the smile in his eyes, the man walks away, hands in his pockets, hidden from those he passes–yet, less painful with a little girl’s kisses, a soothing ointment, covering the scars.

*********************************************

We, the church everywhere, walk in and out of a building each Sunday, noticing new faces, recognizing familiar ones. Greetings and welcomes, hugs and pats on the back. Shaking hands with visitors. Worshipping and singing, studying the Word, sharing the Lord in communion, praying and giving thanks.

Smiling, laughing, telling stories of the past week before leaving. But do we notice the scars? Do we see the wounds? Have we looked into “the window of the soul”—the eyes? Do we ask?

The little girl did. Maybe the others saw the hands of the man as well; some did shake his hand.  But the adults in the story said nothing, maintaining privacy and personal space, and possibly not noticing at all. The child, on the other hand, just saw and asked. She even followed the man out of the building to ask,

            “Do they hurt?”

The unabashed innocence of a child seeing the “ouch” and reaching out to “kiss” the wound to make it “feel better” : What can we learn from a child?  “. . .for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14).

             What do we ask before we let visitors–and each other–leave the building?

(Sharon G. Tate blog 05/22/16) teacherforjesus.com  Meditations on God’s Word