Please
forgive the vulgarism, but I got this piece of unsolicited spiritual direction
when speeding down a street in my neighborhood a few years ago.
Normally
I do not speed. Anyone who has walked a dog along a street with no sidewalks,
as I do, or has children, an outside cat, or neighborhood squirrels knows that
speeding is dangerous to children and other living things! No excuse, but I was
having a bad day. The dry cleaners misplaced the clothes I needed to fold and
pack that day for an imminent cross-country move, requiring three panicky
back-and-forth’s to their establishment before it closed for the weekend.
The
strange thing about that patch of street where I was urged not-so-gently to slow
down is that it was the site of a cautionary tale years before. I was not
speeding then, but as I drove downhill, a boy seated on a skateboard crossed my
path in a daredevil feat that would not have allowed me to brake in time had
his timing been off. And he did so watching my face through my windshield with
a broad mischievous grin. His “innocent
fun” could have ruined both our lives.
So
the neighbor trimming his yard was absolutely right, and minutes later as I
passed again, I stopped my car and rolled down the window and apologized. He
clearly expected something else coming from my mouth (or my window), but was
gracious in his response.
My
apology originated, no doubt, from my mother’s spiritual direction to me as a
child. In front of my class I had rudely rolled my eyes impatiently at Mrs.
Porter, my beloved fifth-grade teacher, and her fellow teacher, my mother,
heard about it and made me apologize the next day. Shame blushed my cheeks as I
did so, and I learned early on Jesus’ admonition to first be reconciled with
those you’ve offended.
A
friend once shared a story of being mistreated by a teacher, expecting his
mother to commiserate with him when he came home. To his great disappointment,
she instead neutrally observed, “Maybe she was just having a bad day.” That
became a kind of mantra for his family, bringing a smile as well as needed
perspective whenever invoked. I could only hope my neighbor might similarly
understand.
All
this is to say that much spiritual direction we receive is informal and accidental
and sometimes aggravating. But “if we have ears to hear and eyes to see” as
Jesus suggested, we may discern every day guidance that may shape our
spirituality.
Progressive
Christian Reflections is an authorized
Emerging Ministry of MCC. Your donations are its only means of support. Thank
you!
Related posts:
Copyright © 2013 by
Chris R. Glaser. Permission granted for non-profit use with attribution of
author and blogsite. Other rights reserved. Check out past posts in the right
rail on the blogsite. Consider using a post or quotes in personal reflection, worship,
newsletters, and classes, referencing the blog address when possible: http://chrisglaser.blogspot.com.
No comments:
Post a Comment