Shining

I saw a lightning bug flying through the garage the other afternoon.  It wasn't very impressive, just a stubby little insect flying slowly to a lunch meeting.  If I didn't know what it was, I certainly wouldn't have recognized it in this environment.

At the same time, I have seen these bugs many times at night.  Flickering with light, they look like tiny stars fallen to earth.  Each fire fly adds just a little bit of beauty to the summer night.

Each one of us has a place where we can shine, a place where we can make a difference.  For me, it is my office -- a place where I feel comfortable talking and sharing with people.  Oddly enough, when I am outside of the office, I often feel uncertain and less able to find words than when I am in my clinic setting.

Maybe that seems a little odd, but I believe that it is the way that God made us.  This is why He gave to each of us a set of talents and skills that we have and why He put us in the place where we find ourselves.

There is a perfect situation for each one of us to shine and our goal should be to find that place. 

Pushing ourselves into situations that don't fit our talents and personalities will not work very well.  At the same time, when we find the right place, we can shine, just like a firefly at midnight.

Champion Climber?

"Dad," my five year old son said to me one evening.  "I know what I want to be when I grow up."

"Really," I said.  "What is that?"  I can never tell what Elliot is going to come up with, but it is seldom something that looks to bring in lots of wealth to his family -- the other day he was planning to be a fire fighter in Guatemala -- a worthy endeavor, but probably not so lucrative.

"Yes," he said.  "I'm going to be a champion climber!"

Oh,"  I said.  "What sorts of things will you climb?"

"Well," he said thoughtfully.  "I think I will race squirrels to the tops of trees."

I have a feeling that Elliot's climbing idea will probably pass in a few days, although you never know.  At the same time, it does seem as though he is setting his sights pretty high.

If I had to say one thing about his future goals, it would be to ask that whatever he chooses as a vocation, it would be something that he can serve others in.  Setting your sights for the stars is not as important as seeing others in need and being willing to spend the time necessary to make them feel loved.

Doctor, Guatemalan Fire Fighter, Squirrel Racer, or whatever other occupation one could think of is only worth while in as much as we see the face of Jesus in the folks around us and then minister to their needs as to Him. 

So, I pray that whatever occupations my children might choose some day, that in them, they will choose to serve others.

Even it is only to help take care of the squirrels they race.

Love Is...?

I don't like feet.

There are probably some people out there with beautiful feet, but in my experience, they are a part of our bodies that doesn't smell very good, is prone to infections, and often doesn't quite get the care it needs.

Part of the problem is that as folks age, along with all of the other joys that happen, their feet seem to get farther away from their arms.  This makes it hard for them to cut their nails and do relatively simple foot care.

I am not a pedicurist, but I do cut toe nails.  It is a little act of love to take out my clippers and take care of my patients in this way.  It isn't something I have a lot of training in or, something that I get paid extra to do and yet, I believe it is just as important, in its own way, as any EKG or MRI I have ever ordered.

As I cut them, I think of Jesus at the Last Supper, thinking of last lessons He could share with
His disciples.  It was clear that they still weren't getting the messages He was trying to share with them.  In that moment, He rose from the meal and took a basin and filled it with water and in love and humility, began to wash His disciples' feet.

The message was clear.  Love isn't helping beautiful and rich people become even more beautiful and wealthy.  Love is bending and serving.  Love is meeting the needs of those who cannot meet their own needs themselves.  Love is giving to those who will never return the favor.

Love is bending down, while staring death in the face, and washing the dust and grime of a Palestinian road from your disciples' feet.  Love is clipping the nails of those who can no longer reach their feet.

Love is...?