Greetings Dear Reader,
If we are honest, we must accept that we are our brother’s
keeper. Recently, I was at a large store
in the early evening. A four or five-year-old
African American lad was in line in front of me with his mum. Every thirty seconds or so the child would let
out a loud call that sounded just like a Kookaburra.
I looked at the child, fascinated by the sound. My enjoyment was interrupted by the mother,
challenging me. “Do we have a problem
here,” she angrily asked. I was shocked
by the timber of the voice of someone who had never met me being so filled with
vitriol.
I smiled my warmest responding, “No we do not. I love the Kookaburra and have never heard
his call done so well by a human. If I
have offended you by enjoying I will continue by apologizing, please forgive
me.”
For a moment, she looked doubtful. Most of her anger faded and the lad looked me
in the eye, smiled, and let out another Kookaburra laugh. She did not say anything else, turned to her
trolly, and wheeled the lad away. As I
turned my focus to the cashier, I heard the Kookaburra one more time and smiled
deeply. The cashier informed me that the
little guy has some kind of learning disability and he thinks that he is laughing.
I thought how hard it must be for that mum to encounter all
kinds of impatient and judgmental responses in dealing with the needs of her
child. I wondered how often her
challenge was met with misunderstanding, unkindness, and even hatred. It must have been unsettling for her to see
my scruffy-bearded self, staring at her son.
It may have been further worrying for me to know the sound the child
made and to enjoy it.
What mattered most in that exchange is my understanding that
I had to meet her challenge with love and kindness. I had done nothing wrong and she was placing
herself between a judging world and her child.
It cost me nothing to respond with gentleness and humility. I am thankful that the Father provided me
with the grace to answer the right questions.
You see, Dear Reader, if my focus is on my own pride and
ego, then I respond differently in that moment.
I react to the challenged if my focus is on me. I say something arrogant or unkind if I seek
to be understood before trying to understand.
That lovely lady has traveled a hard road if she is that angry at
strangers smiling at her son. I must
always answer the question of where my focus is. It must always be on showing the love of
Christ in every interaction.
I hinted at the second question we need to be
answering. If I seek to understand,
rather than demanding to be understood, I can work for peace. I can stand my ground without being offensive
or escalating the situation. My response
was intended to show kindness to the woman and her child. We did not have a problem as she inquired
unless I chose to be prideful and unloving.
My mind considered that in the few seconds I took to respond. Finding Christ in that moment, however, requires
a soft answer, seeing another human in need, and responding with love no matter
what her disposition.
The last question I consider at the moment is that
concerning my rights to be un-assailed and treated with kindness. It is true that just as I should be kind to
everyone, everyone should be kind to me.
Since that will not be the case, I must be the voice for peace and kindness. My anger and pride do not need a morsel of
feeding in this situation. Rather, I
must view my “rights” in perspective to the Father’s sovereignty and commands. The Father allowed this situation to unfold. The occurrence does not nullify his requirement
that I treat every human with love, kindness, deference, and respect.
Compared to my own sin, this woman’s anger is nothing. Perhaps she needed someone to enjoy her son
so that she could have a moment of relative peace. I do not even need to know that, Dear
Reader. I must trust that my obedience
will be used by the Father in his effort to make all things good again. I do not get to design what that journey
looks like.
I think that when it comes to the hard issues we face
currently, that we are not asking or answering the right questions. We are not putting others in the light of
needing kindness and love above all else.
We consider our own “rights” and wants over the needs of others. We respond with hatred when what we must do
is respond with the deep compassion that leads to love and peace. Perhaps that child and get us all to pause
and laugh for a bit. It could yield a
great deal of good is we do so.
Which
Way are You Going – Jim Croce
Which way are you going, which side will you be on?
Will you stand and watch while all the seeds of hate are
sown?
Will you stand with those who say, let his will be done?
One hand on the bible One hand on the gun
One hand on the bible One hand on the gun
Which way are you looking, is it hard to see?
Do you say what’s wrong for him, is not wrong for me?
You walk the streets of righteousness but you refuse to
understand
You say you love the baby
Then you crucify the man
You say you love the baby
Then you crucify the man
Every day, things are changing, words once honored turned to
lies
People wondering, can you blame them Its too far to run, and
too late to hide
Now you turn your back on, all the things that you used to
preach
Now its let him live in freedom if he lives like me
Well you light has changed, confusion rains, what have you
become
All your olive branches turned to spears
When your flowers turned to guns
Your olive branches turned to spears
When your flowers turned to guns
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every
writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a
homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store.”
(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Every human story is part of the great story that leads
to the Father getting everything back to Good.
Contacts for Aramis
Thorn:
#aramisthorn
Bookings: aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com
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