Faith Venture

The rich and poor have this in common: the Lord is the maker of them all.—Proverbs

We humans are prone to divide people into groups—usually us and them. The “us” are then disposed to look down at the “them”. 

We forget that all humans are children of God. Perhaps we should learn to treat each person we meet or with whom we interact on social media as such. Perhaps our tone would become more temperate and, indeed, even more loving.

A smile and kind greeting upon meeting someone establishes a positive context. Doing so to your enemy takes the wind from their sail of enmity.

Do the smile and greeting often enough, it becomes your nature. People might even think you are a nice person, and treat you as such in return. That makes for a happier day.

We need all the happy days we can get.

From Isaiah 66: 

But this is the one to whom I will look:

    he who is humble and contrite in spirit

    and trembles at my word.

We are watching a Scottish (supposedly) police drama series called Rebus. Rebus, a detective inspector, talks with a murder suspect at the end of an episode. The guy killed his father while the father was hitting the guy’s sister who was 9. The killing was never reported. Like most trauma buried in childhood, it came back to bite those involved.

The boy grew up to be successful in business and started a movement to help the poor globally. But the killing haunted his life. He told Rebus the killing was justified, seeking sympathy. Then he got in his expensive car and smirked as he drove away. At that, Rebus pulled out his mobile and called the police station. He gave description and registration of the car telling the duty sergeant to detain the driver for murder of his father.

I wonder if the “up yours” attitude of the killer tipped the scales.

I have done that in soccer matches. I was referee of an “Elite Eight” boys tournament contest one evening years ago. With the first half in its final few minutes, a defender committed a hard foul. I blew my whistle and ran to the spot. Yellow card or talking to debated in my mind. I approached the young man, “That was a hard foul.” He replied with a measure of pride in his voice, “Yes, it was.”

Yellow card / Caution. Or as they would say in England, he was in my book.

Pondering this, this thought from Isaiah entered my mind. A humble and contrite heart may not let you avoid all punishment. But it is a far better response than pride. And God’s grace will follow.

I’ve heard this story several times lately. That must mean it’s time to share it with you. This one comes from Ian Morgan Cron, an Episcopalian priest, therapist, and Enneagram whiz.

In Japan, when a valuable tea bowl or piece of pottery breaks, the owner doesn’t throw it out. 

They take it to a craftsman who gathers the shards of the broken vessel and mends it with lacquer dusted with 24k gold powder in an art form known as “kintsugi.”

The result is an object that is imperfect but paradoxically more beautiful than it was before it broke.

What we can learn from kintsugi is what the Japanese call “the perfection of imperfection.” 

When mended, the owner displays the kintsugi bowl in a place of honor in their home where visitors and guests can see and admire it. The display reminds them that imperfections are not only okay–they can even be made resplendent!

So the next time your Inner Critic tells you that you’re beyond repair, incapable, or even unworthy of love and relationship, turn to it and say, “No. God has made me perfect in my imperfection.” We can overcome the many forces that conspire to keep us from fully living our lives when we believe that God can make our damaged hearts beautiful.

“Repaired” is also known as “Grace.”