Marriage Moats-Bright Around the Edges

Published: Mon, 10/03/22

Bright Around the Edges Caring for Marriage

 

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One time I was singing at a birthday party for my child's friend. The man next to me had a particularly rich voice, and when the cake cutting ritual began, I asked him how his child knew the birthday boy, and what his job was. 
 
"I am a bass in the Metropolitan Opera."
 
 
I was stunned. We were, I might add, in California, and my mind reeled with the concept of a transcontinental commute, and the caliber of his talent. I felt as if I had been thrust into the presence of someone very special.
 
The truth is, he was special before I knew his credentials. I was just not aware of it. 
 
There is a story by Scott Peck in which a monastery has begun to decline. People did not come to worship as much as they used to, and the monks felt despondent about their dying order. Then a rabbi told the brothers something that changed everything.
 
"One of you is the Messiah."
 
They were mystified. One of us is the Messiah? They began to look at each other more closely, with profound respect. They went about their duties with renewed holiness, and gradually the few people who visited the monastery perceived a difference. They started to come more often, and they brought their friends. Within a year or two, the once forgotten house of worship was thriving with life and purpose. 
 
What would happen if we could see each other with hallowed eyes? Right now he or she may be in ripped sweats, wrestling with grimy dishes, or racing for an appointment. But what if I could step back, or up, enough to see this person a hundred years from now? Maybe I would treat John more respectfully if I heard him singing bass in a celestial choir, or saw him with four bars on his heavenly uniform. Would I dare be snippy with an angel? Why not curb the snippiness today?
 
That is how God sees us. He is not so easily distracted by the here and now. He sees the Will Be, and is less troubled by messiness on the way. 
 
 
 
Love,
Lori
 
 
Photo by Andy Sullivan
 
 
 
Lori Odhner
Caring for Marriage
Lori@CaringForMarriage
www.caringformarriage.org

Caring for Marriage, 600 Tomlinson Rd Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009-0547, USA

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