|
|
|
| Saturday, June 26, 2010 |
 |
What Comes "Through" You?
By webmaster @ 12:01 AM :: 960 Views ::
1 Comments :: Nina Frost
|
 |
I was recently in Washington, DC for one of those life events that are singularly glorious… a big decade birthday for my husband, surrounded by family and friends who have known him for years, and who spoke with sheer love, humor and celebration about him. Liturgy at its finest.
One of the speakers, a Lutheran pastor who has known Robert for years (and who is a fierce rival of his in certain sports), lingered till the end. He looked Robert straight in the eye, and speaking to everyone still left, he said: “You know, Robert, we are here at this party because of you. But it’s not about you.”
The friend then went on to give a sweet, unexpected and mystical riff on how our lives are about what pass “through” us… how we reach others through both conscious and unconscious acts of love, compassion, listening—the kind of listening that brings other people into being. Robert’s years of ministry and friendship, in this friend’s eyes, was about all that came through him via the Spirit. What passes through him is what the toasts were “about.”
And so it is for all of us. You know those times: When the right words come to you for someone in a time of need… when you are simply called to be a safe space, or a forceful advocate, or a silent companion, holding someone deep in grief.
I would also flip this around and say, we all need to be nourished by people in our lives where encouragement comes through them; and we know what happens if we spend too much time with people who demean, ignore, or sap us.
I am wanting to pass on the friend’s benediction to you all: Give thanks for, be aware of, think closely about the ways you are literally instrumental… a vessel for God’s spirit. As St. Paul says, “Do you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”
May this summer be a time of blessing; may your daily ministries, and we all have them, bring people through. |
|
|
|
|
| Comments |
 By
dryon @
Saturday, June 26, 2010 2:28 PM
|
|
When you observe what comes "through" Robert, it is a window to the sheer depth of his spirit and belief.
|
|
|
You must be logged in to post a comment. You can login here
|
|
|
|
|
Publishing Schedule:
| Sun. |
Dr. Brown |
| Mon. |
Sister Carol Perry |
| Tue. |
Nina Frost |
| Wed. |
Kenneth Dake |
| Thu. |
Elise Hanley |
Reading Our Blog:
New articles will go up regularly. The seven most recent posts are displayed on this main page. If you'd like to go back and read previous entries you missed, click on the "Categories" link at the top of the page and then select the author you're interested in. We don't delete old articles, so you'll be able to come back anytime and re-read the ones that speak to you in significant ways.
|
|
|