I am sitting here at my desk thinking about the sermon for tomorrow. I promised last week to write a my story in five hundred words or less. I cranked it out but when I reached five hundred I was only twenty two years old. So...I was a third of the way through it. To make matters worse, what I had written was really only a sketch and a boring one at best. My life has not been boring but it sure looked that way from what I had written. Let me back up.
Last week I was telling our congregation that the story of Jesus and his families' life in his very early years was important because stories connect us. Knowing these stories give us a deeper more human understanding of how they lived and the challenges they faced. I went on to say that each of our stories is important too. When we share what has gone on in our lives it helps us connect to each other.
What I realized is that I was writing down the bones of my story but there was no flesh on it. Sure, I wrote down that I went to boarding school but I neglected to mention the harassment I experienced while I was there. I also never mentioned the love I was shown by my Aunt Mary, who made sure I had clean clothes, a good meal on Sunday, and a large can of cookies to munch on each week.
What I have learned from this is you can't get to know someone in five hundred words or less. It is a good start but it is only the beginning in building a strong relationship. Relationships with God seem to be that way too.
Peace,
Fr. Fred
No comments:
Post a Comment