Apparently, my sharing has really opened up a flood gate of memories for my mom as she reads my posts and that is exactly what I am seeking to do. Help us all to open up that flood gate and let the memories come pouring forth so that we may begin to share.
Yesterday I asked you to start reflecting on your beginnings, the seeds that were planted. Seeds that you didn't even realize were seeds at the time. Today, we continue on that journey. There are so many memories to access that thinking we could just spend a few minutes reflecting on them would not do justice to the purpose of this time of reflection as we learn what our stories are and how to share our stories.
Take some time to briefly recall your memories from yesterday's post and then lets move forward (or maybe even backward). Just like dominoes, once one is set in motion the others follow suit. Our memories are similar one memory may jog another and another until we are reliving parts of our stories. Where are some of the other seeds sprinkled in your life? Were they seeds the took root or did they fall among a path to be eaten by the birds? (refer to Matthew 13: The Parable of the Sower)
As Christians, there are times when we grab hold of the word for a short time and then let trials of this life or even just other people get in our way of growing. As you think about these times of seeds being planted, allow yourself to explore those times when maybe it was a seed that didn't get a chance to grow. If we are going to bring others to know Christ and share our stories, we must be willing to share our faults as well. Also share about when those seeds did take root.
We are going to continue down this path of seeds for the next few days. Open your heart and mind and let the memories start flowing. Grow confident in allowing yourself to see the good as well as the not so good times. They are all a part of who we are and we wouldn't be the people we are now without them.
As always, feel free to share your story in the comments section if you wish.
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Trinity United Methodist Church, Charleston, SC
What a beautiful place.
At the ripe old age of 4, I knew I was loved there. If memory serves correctly several of us were picked up for church in a station wagon or something like that at times...those back seats were so cool. (Of course if this is a ride from a different place and time, then I guess I have some jumbled memories, but hey I was young).
I absolutely loved getting to sit with a special lady at church. She would give me the coolest treat that I took a guilty pleasure in eating (guilty because I was scared about taking food from a stranger, but it was church right?). Tic Tacs....the orange were the best. And she would always have the cutest mini pack of tissues. Now, I can't tell you her name or even what she looked like, but I do get to cherish the memories. Someone taking an interest in me, loving on me. Of course, as I think back I did have a lot of adults who doted on me at one time or another.
But let's fast forward a little bit. Or maybe it is rewind since I don't truly know the sequence of events or the timeline. When you are 4 there are many things that are cool and from what I've been told....as I still have absolutely no recollection of this....I chose to temporarily borrow (okay steal) a pair of scissors from church. Yes, I apparently was once a thief and of all the places to steal from....church. You got it. BAD BAD BAD
And you know what's worse, I didn't get caught from someone at church. No, I couldn't even tell you how long I had those scissors before I was caught, but I assure you I was caught.
One night, I went to bed thinking I was a fairy princess or something, so I snuck a comb under my pillow and late in the night I would take it out and comb my hair. Welllllllllll, that was a bad idea. It got stuck in my hair. I mean really, really stuck and I just knew I was going to be in sooooooo much trouble if my mom found out I slept with my comb so I did the only logical thing I knew to do at 4.
I climbed out of bed, pulled those scissors from their hiding place, and I cut that comb out with those stolen scissors. Then I hid all the evidence under my clothes in my drawer.
See how smart I was!!!!!
Well, apparently not that smart because it became apparent to my mom when she was brushing my hair that something was seriously wrong as clumps of my hair kept coming out. Now I won't get into all that mess or the mess later when she found where I hid the evidence, but suffice it to say I was punished. And since I didn't have scissors of my own, my mom knew exactly where they came from. According to mom, I was supposed to hand them back to the teacher and apologize. So there may be a chance I also became a liar too. Mom suspects that knowing my personality, I probably just slipped those scissors right back where they belonged and just told her that I handed them to my teacher. I don't remember any of it so who knows????
Again, I may not recall a prayer spoken or a sermon preached or even a specific Sunday School lesson, but there are the seeds. The beginnings. Attending church and memories linked to it. Some good and some maybe not so much. But guess what, Jesus has forgiven me such antics and still loves me with open arms. And he loves you too.
Let us pray:
God, I thank you for this opportunity to reflect on my journey as I learn to look for the signs of your presence. I thank you for being there for me and all of us when our seeds were planted. Sometimes the seeds were just small moments and didn't take root at other times the seeds even had a chance to sprout, but for some reason withered away. God I ask that you be with each one of us as we continue down this journey as it is bond to become emotional and tough at times. I ask that you help each of us to continue to grow to thrive as we grow in our relationship with you through our exploration of how we got here. In your name I pray, Amen.
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