What's the difference

     I had the privilege yesterday of a drive through the mountains to see a quite elderly friend of my husband. She has been a light to so many and now resides in a senior living facility several hours away. We  don't get to see her as often as we'd like although we are on the phone with her almost daily. The differences in her from our last visit was striking enough to think she was a different person.  Her abilities in every way diminished from walking and simple movement to hearing and stature and the presence she has always exuded. In one way it seemed said but truly, a new opportunity for us to love.

      One constant about life is change. Perhaps change is the definition of life. Another hallmark of life is love and loving. Jesus certainly has that mastered as you'd expect. The long ride home yesterday gave me sufficient time to ponder the changes and differences in all of us. Right or wrong, good or bad, our existences are opportunities to love.  The changes in our friend offered us the opportunity to assess and alter how we could love her. From the way we listened to the way we could assist her mobility to appreciate her new needs. These are all opportunities to love. 

           Rather than see differences in people that we might use as excuses to withdraw, dislike, dismiss or even fear, Jesus is teaching us to look at a person and see nothing but opportunities to love.  And even as we look at ourselves and perhaps see things we may not actuallyl like, an opportunity to love ourselves as well. 

      I spoke yesterday of an aunt who said she did not understand my being gay but knew I was a good man and loved me.  We cannot understand all the differences in those around us, people we are called to love. But love we must and we must try to see the beautiful essence in someone that God sees without judgment. Tough task for sure. 

       If we are truly committed to our mission, our calling to love, then I think we will have less of a problem judging and see more of the joys in life, more of the beauty that God sees in all of us. 

Matthew 15:29-31

After Jesus had left that place, he passed along the Sea of Galilee, and he went up the mountain, where he sat down. Great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the mute, and many others. They put them at his feet, and he cured them, so that the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they praised the God of Israel.