Day 63: There is a snowstorm blustering outside on this Sonday morning. It is also the last day of Stories Week, so it seems fitting that we end with a parable.
Jesus told stories—parables—when he taught, because we mere mortals can understand a principle better, or more easily, if we relate to the person or the circumstance. We like examples. He told stories of everyday people: A Samaritan stopping to help a man no one else would; a parent waiting for a prodigal son; a man struggling to choose the spirit over his money. Centuries later, humanity still relates.
I love the Bible story in John 5, when Jesus passes the Pools of Bethesda where the lame and halt are watching for the water to stir, for when the water ripples it means an angel is near, and the next person into the water will be healed. Jesus asks a lame man why he hasn’t been in the water. He answers that he has been waiting for 37 years for someone to help him into the water. Jesus heals him, and the verse moves on to the Pharisees’ anger because Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath.
The whole story is only a few short verses, yet there is so much to learn from them. Help the person next to you if they cannot help themselves. When you see someone who looks like they’ve been there awhile, don’t ignore them. Service is God’s work, and totally appropriate on the Sabbath, which means it’s time for me to pull on my boots and grab a snow shovel.
We learn best by putting ourselves in someone else’s shoes - or dusty Jerusalem sandals - or my trusty snow boots. Happy Sonday, everyone. #MomsCompanyTowels #parables
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