There was a little girl named Mary Ann who was born with a cleft palate. Her jagged lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth and garbled speech made her feel completely unlovable. She would often lie about how her lip got to be that way because she thought it was better than admitting she was born with it. Can you even imagine the rejection and pain she must have felt from her classmates at school? Kids can be so cruel (well, so can full grown adults, really), alienating others for differences they had no ability to choose. One year in school Mary Ann had a pretty fabulous teacher. This teacher (Mrs. Leonard) tested the students' hearing every year using a little system through the door. Here is what my bible study author shares about it:
The routine was easy to understand. Each student was asked to stand outside the classroom, cover one ear with a hand and place the other ear against the door. Then, Mrs. Leonard would whisper something from the other side and the student would have to repeat it back. She said things like, "The sky is blue." Mary Ann took her turn, doing everything she had been instructed to do, and she waited to hear a similar phrase. Instead, she heard words that were rarely aimed at her. With her ear pressed against the door, she heard Mrs. Leonard say, "I love you, Mary Ann, and I wish you were my little girl."
Wow. How powerful is the unexpected and unwavering love of another? What a beautiful picture of the love that Christ has for us. None of us is worthy of love. . . none of us are perfectly together and without fault. And yet His love for us is deep and wide and strong.
Words are powerful. Mrs. Leonard knew that, and she used words to bring light and joy into the life of that little girl. I am praying today that my words bring light and life. . . that my speech is a good reflection of the undeserved love that I have found in Jesus.
If you need a little reminder today of the depths of His great love for you, spend a few minutes reflecting on this:
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:38-39
Mary Ann's story comes from:
The Preaching of Jesus, by Mark Moore & Jon Weece
Great story Erin. Why is it that we so often hold back our love and encouraging words from others? This is rhetorical; I know why, I just wish we'd all let go and let the love flow!
ReplyDelete"Kids can be so cruel (well, so can full grown adults, really), alienating others for differences they had no ability to choose."
ReplyDeleteThis post comes at a perfect time. I went to a great forum on homosexuality and the Bible tonight. 3 pastors led the discussion. They were some of the most loving men, who truly love Jesus, that I have ever met. It made me realize how said I am that such a small part of the Bible is what has turned me away from it-and that many people choose to love and ACCEPT others UNCONDITIONALLY and still believe in Jesus and the Bible. It was powerful for me.
It made me realize how sad* I am.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to see so many Christians refusing to show unconditional love to people who are different than them... I think we too quickly forget that we were never worthy of God's love either...
ReplyDeleteBut at the same time, the small parts about the bible that have turned you away are still parts of the bible. If we are going to use the bible as our source of knowledge and understanding about God and His ways we have to be willing to accept even the things that are difficult. But LOVE, well, that should permeate everything we do and who we are. I would certainly hope that as followers of Jesus we would show honest and transparent love for others - homosexuals included. But that doesn't mean that we disregard what the Bible teaches about homosexuality.
Not that I'm looking to get into a debate - just want to be sure you understand where I'm coming from... There are a lot of people who say they believe in the bible and love Jesus and then turn around and distort what it says to fit it within their worldview, instead of coming to the bible with an open heart that wants to learn and understand God's worldview.
Its a hard thing, M. I'm just glad you're still thinking about it all. And still willing to talk to me. . . =)