An Unpleasant Surprise
One thing is for certain, life is full of twists and turns and unexpected surprises. Some of the surprises are good and others are not. Recently, we were visiting Rome and wanted to celebrate our faith by going to a cathedral and sharing communion with one another. We found a small chapel inside the cathedral and shared what we hoped would be a meaningful moment in a beautiful setting. Can you imagine my surprise when I finished my prayer concluding communion, only to find that someone had stolen my iPhone?
It hit me like a punch in gut. I went through a range of emotions: shocked, angry, scared (all my information was now in the hands of a thief), stressed and finally reconciled. With the help of a dear friend who lives in Rome we were able to get to an Apple store and lock the phone in a matter of minutes.
As I processed this unpleasant experience, I realized that while we were in the middle of something we considered a positive and intimate moment (communion and prayer), I could have prevented the theft if I had done one thing - kept my eyes open. If I'd kept my eyes open, I would have been aware of what was going on around me.
I think sometimes we get so caught up living in the "cathedrals" of our lives - those beautiful and meaningful things that we intentionally engage in - that we forget to look around us. We close our eyes to the needs, the hurt, the pain of others. While we may be doing good things in our own lives, we sometimes are so wrapped up in our own experience of 'goodness' that we just don’t see the opportunities to truly speak into the lives of those who may need it the most.
For me, I will use this experience to remember to look outside of the cathedral of my own life. And yes, I will still pray, but I think from now on, I will pray with one eye open!
When we choose to see and meet the needs of those around us, we will truly make a difference.
Larry
Check out our latest episode on the Crossing the Line Podcast:
The ABCs of Trust, with Larry Little
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