I Thank My God When I Remember You

If you've existed on this big blue marble for longer than a minute or two, you've probably run into a special person. Whether it was that selfless woman who for months giggled excitedly at every move she felt you make, or the tender hero who gently cleaned you and warmed you moments after your startling relocation. Maybe you were blessed to be raised among a group of special people, people who loved and supported you all throughout your growing years, despite your tendency to sleep too late on weekends and use the last of the milk without adding it to the shopping list. Maybe you were blessed to find those folks outside the four walls of your home; maybe they were folks who, for no apparent reason, simply took a liking to you and wanted to be a part of your becoming the best human being you could be. Perhaps it's been those and many more throughout your lifetime. This world is full of siren songs tempting us to grow bitter and ungrateful, but if we take a moment to look past the surface dirt to the core of what brings us joy and hope and teaches us to love, we will find treasure in jars of clay.

I can't say if or how I have impacted the lives of those around me --I'm not sure any of us really knows the depth of our purpose while we're still actually trying to walk it out-- but I know there are people who have shown me tremendous kindnesses and those who have been used by God to demonstrate His love for me. There was the neighbor who prepared dinner for my family and I after my daughter was born. That single act of care still speaks to me the language of love. Years later, she came to my home at 2AM five days a week and watched my children while I worked. The selflessness of God was made manifest to me through her again and again.

The coworker who, despite working full-time, being the greatest granny that ever walked the face of the earth, and putting up with my husband's special kind of crazy, made it her mission to give those she loved whatever she could afford. Despite her own failing health, I watched this woman devise and construct a multitude of "helps" to assist her husband in navigating life despite a condition that was robbing him of mobility daily. Despite her demands to be left alone, she crafted favors for parties (for which she did not wish to be compensated, nor to which she was invited) just to do something nice for someone. Despite her rock hard exterior, she'd spend her last dime on a gift of beauty and song to encourage my husband and I to never forget her. (As though we ever could.) A more beautiful picture of Jesus will never grace the walls of any cathedral.

The character of God can be found in this world and its inhabitants if we are simply willing to look and to understand what it is we are seeing. I heard two old men at the market the other day, both with different perspectives. One bemoaned the state of things as they are today. The other simply reassured him, "There's plenty of good out there --just that the good stuff never makes the news. Stop watchin' the news and tell me what you see." And he's absolutely right. When we see "the good stuff," we have to be aware we are witnessing one of the very attributes of God. Focusing on that goodness (or the Godlike-ness) in others can be the beginning of worship. Finding the light in the darkness can be the beginning of discovering light's very Origin. Being grateful for those who share this place with us can be the beginning of a relationship with the One who deserves our thanks.

(Photo courtesy of LuAnn Martin)