What If

I wonder how our world would look if we all believed the best in each other.

What if we looked past the rough edges and saw the potential waiting to burst forth.

What if we embraced the awkwardness and peculiarities and allowed them to broaden our horizons and enlighten our perceptions.

What if we ignored the drama and discovered an infectious spirit of energy and attraction.

What if we overlooked the gruff and callous demeanor and the offensive words and actions and focused on the hurting soul in need of love.

What if we forgave the faults we see in others, the same faults we long for others to forgive in us, and see each other as imperfect brothers and sisters doing our best in an imperfect world.

What if we stopped discarding people and embraced each other as a masterpiece of the the Great Creator, a child of God worthy to be loved, pursued, forgiven and accepted.

What if…

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No Spotlight Required

Some people were meant for the light. They shine when its beams hit their faces. They come alive; they thrive. They make all those around them stand in awe. They command the world’s attention. They have the gaze of every eye when they enter a room.

Most of us, however, were only meant to look on, to revel at the glow and to dream of what it might be to stand in the light’s splendor. We constantly seek out the light. We do all that we can to get its attention, to somehow turn its gleam our way. We long for the glory the spotlight brings. We long to be seen, to be heard, to be found.

Yet, when we find the chance to step into the light, we’re often disappointed. We’re blinded by its brightness and left feeling vulnerable, less than perfect, less than desirable. For in the light, there is no room for mistakes. There is no room for insecurities or hesitations. In the light, everything is revealed, every flaw is seen and every mistake is magnified.

It is a lonely feeling to be left with the realization that we weren’t made for the spotlight, that we weren’t meant for all the attention the light can bring. But even more lonely is living out of the spotlight and never realizing that that is ok, never being happy with who we are or what we are made of, never discovering that our ability to shine comes from within.

You see, the spotlight is wonderful but its glimmer is fleeting. What truly matters is what happens outside that circle of light. That is where life happens. That is where decisions are made, relationships are formed, talents are honed, personalities are developed, stories are written and journeys are taken. Out of the spotlight, we have the freedom to be ourselves, to make mistakes, to love, to be sad, to cry, to say things we might regret, to make bad choices, to seek forgiveness for those choices, to take risks, to fall down, to get back up, to live.

I believe there will always be a longing for the spotlight. There will always be that question of what it may feel like to be the center of attention, to be the one who captivates the room. But once we realize that living out of the spotlight offers just as much fulfillment, if not more, then the prominence doesn’t seem so enticing. And as the acclaim of the spotlight fades, we are then able to see the light that shines within each one of us. We can see the spark that makes each of us truly unique.

Yes, some people were made for the spotlight, reflecting only the light that is cast upon them.

But we were all made to shine, lighting the world with our God-given individuality, talents, skills, character, heart and soul.

No spotlight required.

Reason to SMILE #358 – Christmas Edition: THE MOST PRECIOUS GIFT

Frank strolled into our worship service one summer evening about two years ago.  He wore an old flannel shirt, cast-off work pants and a knit snow cap.  His clothes were ragged and dirty and his hair and beard were unkept.  No one could tell his age and Frank did not give an answer when asked.  He had no family to speak of nor did he have a home.  That particular night, Frank needed a place to get out of the rain for a couple of hours but he soon became a regular in our midst.

We learned a lot about Frank over the next few weeks.  Some things we learned from Frank himself; some we learned from local shelters and others we learned just from watching.  One thing we quickly learned, though, was that Frank loved music.  At the beginning of every service, Frank would sit on the front pew of the sanctuary.  He would clap and sway as the hymns and praise choruses were played.  He would sing as loud as he could and would applaud with great appreciation at the end of each song.  But as soon as the music stopped and the preacher began to speak, Frank would move to the very back pew, lay his head against the wall behind him and take a nap in the comfort of our sanctuary.  This ritual was a bit disconcerting to our pastor but harmless, nonetheless.

Our friends at the local shelters informed us that Frank was mentally challenged and as we observed Frank on his regular visits, we began to realize that Frank was more like a child than a grown man.  This explained his delight of all of the children in our congregation!  Often, Frank could be found at the children’s welcome center, passing out crayons, pencils and papers to the little ones.  Some of our parents were concerned with Frank’s involvement but all of our children loved him.  He laughed and played with the children and made each one feel welcome.  And boy, did Frank love to hear those children sing!

Before we knew it, Christmas had arrived.  The children’s choir had been practicing very hard for the Christmas pageant that year because each choir member knew that Frank would be in the congregation.  The special evening came and Frank sat in the front pew, as always.  He was fascinated with the manger scene on the stage and could barely sit still as he waited for the service to begin.  Finally, the children, dressed as sheep, cows, pigs, shepherds and angels, entered the sanctuary.  Frank stood and cheered and all the children giggled with excitement.  After Frank settled down, the music began and Frank watched as the children of our church told the story of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.  No one had ever seen Frank so attentive and when the choir sang its final song, Frank stood and cheered once again.

After their performance, the children made their way from the stage to their parents in the congregation and the pastor made his way to the pulpit to preach.  Once in the pulpit, the pastor was surprised to see Frank still seated in the front pew and not settled in the back pew for his evening nap.  Though quite curious, the preacher began his Christmas sermon, looking down occasionally to see if Frank was awake.  Frank was awake, indeed, but he was not listening to the preacher.  You see, before little Mary left the stable stall that evening to sit with her parents, she placed the baby doll used in the pageant to portray baby Jesus back into the manger.  Frank’s attention was fixed on the little baby.  Then halfway through the sermon, Frank suddenly stood up.  We all thought that Frank was headed to his usual back pew but Frank was headed in the opposite direction.  Before anyone could react, Frank had made his way to the nativity scene on stage.  The pastor, still trying to keep his wits about him, nodded to a deacon to go after Frank but neither the deacon nor anyone else in the congregation was looking at the pastor.  All eyes were on Frank.

No one knew what to do.  Our first impulse was to grab Frank and pull him back to his seat but our curiosity kept us frozen in our pews.  We watched as Frank stood near the manger where the little baby lay.  Scratching his head and then wringing his hands, he inched closer and closer to the baby.  He reached down toward the baby but quickly pulled back his arms.  He looked out at all of us then back to the baby.  At this point, the pastor realized that God had a different plan for the evening, and he gave up all attempts at finishing his sermon.  The sanctuary, filled with hundreds of men, women, boys and girls, was still and quiet as God’s message of love and grace began to unfold in front of our eyes.

Frank’s obvious confusion ultimately pulled him to his knees beside the manger.  He reached over to pick up the baby Jesus, and the sounds of tiny sniffles throughout the room grew into uncontrolled sobs as one heart after another began to break.  Quietly, a little angel slipped from her seat and made her way down the aisle of the sanctuary and to the side of Frank.  A sweet little voice said, “It’s ok, Frank,” as she gave her friend a big hug.  Frank knew this little angel – she shared her cookies with him every Sunday – so Frank asked his friend, “Do you know whose baby this is?”  “That’s baby Jesus,” she said emphatically.  “He’s God’s Son.”  Frank replied, “He’s all alone….just like me.”  The little angel giggled as she said, “Silly, Frank, that’s just a baby doll.  The real Jesus is in our hearts and that means we’re never alone.”

Tears began to roll down the face of our friend Frank as little angels, sheep, cows, shepherds and all the other children gathered around the baby Jesus, and our silence was broken.  Sweet melodies of Christmas rang out from the sanctuary piano and our hearts overflowed.  It took some time but the pastor finally convinced Frank that the baby in the manger scene was simply a doll but most importantly, the pastor was able to tell Frank about God’s love and the gift of His Son, Jesus.  That night, Frank left our Christmas service a changed man.  In fact, no one in that sanctuary was ever the same again.

---

Jesus, sent from heaven for you and for me, was a gift so precious that even a host of angels could not contain their great joy in telling the Good News of His birth nor could the shepherds, after seeing the baby, keep from sharing with all who would listen that the Savior had been born.  Yet, we often keep this gift to ourselves, storing it away for safekeeping and sharing it only on special occasions.  We celebrate Jesus’ birth and retell His story year after year then we walk away, leaving God’s Love lying in the manger.  May we be more like Frank this Christmas season and all the year through; may we embrace God’s most precious gift in spite of all that is happening around us and may we share His gift with the world.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

Reason to SMILE #122: A Colorful World

What if all the blue crayons

In your color case

Decided all the green crayons

Were simply a big waste?

 

“You’re too green,” they might say.

“You’re not like us at all.

We don’t need your kind around.

Get out!” they’d say with gall.

 

Pushing the green crayons out

Of the color box,

The blues would then settle in

Their spacious, comfy spots.

 

“Ah!” the blues would then proclaim.

“This extra room is nice

But the reds might say it’s theirs

And that will not suffice.”

 

The crayons blue would soon begin

To push the reds out, too,

Along with every other shade

Til all was left was blue.

 

“Oh, what freedom! We’ve so much space,”

The blues would then shout.

Now, we can color everything.

Our hue’s the best, no doubt.”

 

Upon this declaration,

The crayons blue would jump

From their box to color the world –

Ev’ry rock, ev’ry road, ev’ry bump.

 

They’d first begin with the sky.

Oh, what wonderful hues!

They’d paint the sky almost as bright

As God himself would do.

 

Dark blue, light blue, gray blue, teal-

Endless shades there’d be!

Blue cars, blue pants, blue, blue, blue

As far as one could see.

 

Then stepping back to survey

All that they had colored,

These lofty blues would be pleased.

They didn’t need the others.

 

Somewhere, then, I’d like to think,

From in the crayon box,

An old and used up blue crayon

Would climb up to the top.

 

“Hey!” he’d shout. “What about

The sun, the grass and flowers?

The wondrous beauty of these can’t

Be captured by mere blue power.

 

“Yes,” another blue would chime,

“How shall we color these?

The sun is not a shade of blue

Nor is the grass or trees.”

 

“We pushed out all the colors that

Could have done the job.

A brighter place this world could be

If their beauty, we did not rob.”

 

Nodding in agreement, I suspect

Each blue would then slump

Knowing they had slighted the world

By being such big chumps!

 

Imagine how boring our world would be if God had not chosen to paint it with a multitude of colors. Even more, imagine how dull the world would be if God had not chosen to fill it with such a magnificent variety of people! And just like every color is needed to create a beautiful sunset over the ocean, so also is every person needed to create a beautiful and better world and to fill that world with bright and beautiful SMILES.

One Wish

We were driving home from church. It was a stormy night and from the silence in the back seat of the car, I could tell my soon-to-be 5th Grader’s wheels were spinning.

“If I had fairy godparents,” he began, “I would wish for this storm to go away. You know what else I’d wish for?”

“What?” I inquired.

“I’d wish for world peace!” he declared with great conviction.

Wanting to take advantage of this opportunity to teach my kid a little something, I replied, “You know, if you want world peace, you don’t have to wish for it. It starts with you and me.”

Reminding him of his behavior toward some of the kids at church, I continued, “You can’t have peace by telling everyone to ‘be quiet’ all the time or by tattling on others.”

I paused to see if I’d get a response but after hearing nothing, I concluded my mini lesson for the evening, “We all have to play our part if we want to have world peace.”

Without even the smallest moment of reflection, my son piped up again, “You know what else I’d wish for? I’d wish for the game, Lego Jurassic World.”

So much for that teachable moment!

I really think I should get extra “good parenting” points for trying! Don’t you? 😉

<SIGH>

That’s ok. I’ll keep trying. I MUST keep trying! It’s what we all must continue to do.

We must continue to teach the next generation that the pursuit for peace is a worthy endeavor, that peace is worth the fight.

Yes, the fight.

You see, it’s easy to talk the talk, to make our wishes and preach our sermons about living peaceably with all men. Words come easy.

But when push comes to shove, when we’ve logged off of social media, when those that we hate are standing right in front of us, this is where our words are put to the test. This is where the pursuit for peace is accomplished. This is what our children are watching and what the next generation will emulate.

Oh, friends. Peace must be more than a simple wish.

Peace must be an action.

And peace must begin with you and me.

 

Pursue peace with everyone, and holiness —

without it no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14

 

A Wallflower’s Perspective

We tend to go unnoticed.

“I didn’t see you there,” we often hear.

But that is our intention –

The spotlight is what we fear.

 

We mostly like the distance.

It gives us room to breathe, to think, to see

What’s going on around us –

Learn what separates you from me.

 

There are those times, however,

The separation leaves us in the cold.

We’d seek out your attention

But would never be so bold.

 

We hope for just a moment

You’d look beyond the crowd and walk our way.

We know you’d like what you find

Once you hear what we have to say.

 

We have so much to offer.

It’d only take a glimpse for you to see

Our kindness, smarts, our humor,

Our fierce creativity.

 

You might find it surprising

To stop and realize what you’re missing

By ignoring the margins,

Not widening your vision.

 

Now don’t mistake or mishear me.

We don’t need rescuing or pushed to change.

Just let us know you see us

With a nod, a SMILE or wave.

 

You see, we know our value

Even though we shrink back along the wall.

The reason we’re called flowers –

Well – it’s ‘cause we’re beautiful!

 

Don’t Forget…

Reason to SMILE #199: BEING ME/BEING YOU

Much of my life, I’ve longed to be like everyone else. I’ve wanted to fit in, to be seen as an equal to my peers.

I’ve dreamed of finding a place where I could feel at home and a group of people with which I could feel comfortable.

I’ve dreamed of the day when I could walk into a building, see faces light up because of my presence and hear my name shouted across the room.

Wait – that’s a TV show –

“Sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your na-a-ame”¹

Bum-bum-bum

“And they’re always glad you ca-a-ame”¹

Sorry. I couldn’t resist.

But wouldn’t it be nice?…

Rarely do I ever feel as though I fit in. Rarely have I ever found anyone with whom I could be myself and say what I think without fear of judgment. Rarely do I feel comfortable in a group, no matter how large or small. Rarely do I feel accepted for me, just me.

But I’ve learned a thing or two about acceptance and fitting in along my journey in life. You see, no matter how much I long to be the same as others or fit into a particular group, I simply wasn’t made for that.

Neither were you!

You and I were made to be different,

to stand out from the crowd and

to glorify God with our uniqueness.

Yep. I am very different. Maybe even a bit weird. But that’s okay. God has a specific plan for all of my quirks and peculiarities and He has a wonderful plan for yours, too!

Embrace your uniqueness and SMILE.

 

 

¹ “Cheers Theme Song” by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart-Angelo

It’s Time to Stop

A Year of Smiles – Day 358: The SMILES of Christmas

Christmas SMILE #24 (Reason to SMILE #358): THE MOST PRECIOUS GIFT – JESUS

Frank strolled into our worship service one summer evening about two years ago.  He wore an old flannel shirt, cast-off work pants and a knit snow cap.  His clothes were ragged and dirty and his hair and beard were unkept.  No one could tell his age and Frank did not give an answer when asked.  He had no family to speak of nor did he have a home.  That particular night, Frank needed a place to get out of the rain for a couple of hours but he soon became a regular in our midst.

We learned a lot about Frank over the next few weeks.  Some things we learned from Frank himself; some we learned from local shelters and others we learned just from watching.  One thing we quickly learned, though, was that Frank loved music.  At the beginning of every service, Frank would sit on the front pew of the sanctuary.  He would clap and sway as the hymns and praise choruses were played.  He would sing as loud as he could and would applaud with great appreciation at the end of each song.  But as soon as the music stopped and the preacher began to speak, Frank would move to the very back pew, lay his head against the wall behind him and take a nap in the comfort of our sanctuary.  This ritual was a bit disconcerting to our pastor but harmless, nonetheless.

Our friends at the local shelters informed us that Frank was mentally challenged and as we observed Frank on his regular visits, we began to realize that Frank was more like a child than a grown man.  This explained his delight of all of the children in our congregation!  Often, Frank could be found at the children’s welcome center, passing out crayons, pencils and papers to the little ones.  Some of our parents were concerned with Frank’s involvement but all of our children loved him.  He laughed and played with the children and made each one feel welcome.  And boy, did Frank love to hear those children sing!

Before we knew it, Christmas had arrived.  The children’s choir had been practicing very hard for the Christmas pageant that year because each choir member knew that Frank would be in the congregation.  The special evening came and Frank sat in the front pew, as always.  He was fascinated with the manger scene on the stage and could barely sit still as he waited for the service to begin.  Finally, the children, dressed as sheep, cows, pigs, shepherds and angels, entered the sanctuary.  Frank stood and cheered and all the children giggled with excitement.  After Frank settled down, the music began and Frank watched as the children of our church told the story of Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus.  No one had ever seen Frank so attentive and when the choir sang its final song, Frank stood and cheered once again.

After their performance, the children made their way from the stage to their parents in the congregation and the pastor made his way to the pulpit to preach.  Once in the pulpit, the pastor was surprised to see Frank still seated in the front pew and not settled in the back pew for his evening nap.  Though quite curious, the preacher began his Christmas sermon, looking down occasionally to see if Frank was awake.  Frank was awake, indeed, but he was not listening to the preacher.  You see, before little Mary left the stable stall that evening to sit with her parents, she placed the baby doll used in the pageant to portray baby Jesus back into the manger.  Frank’s attention was fixed on the little baby.  Then halfway through the sermon, Frank suddenly stood up.  We all thought that Frank was headed to his usual back pew but Frank was headed in the opposite direction.  Before anyone could react, Frank had made his way to the nativity scene on stage.  The pastor, still trying to keep his wits about him, nodded to a deacon to go after Frank but neither the deacon nor anyone else in the congregation was looking at the pastor.  All eyes were on Frank.

No one knew what to do.  Our first impulse was to grab Frank and pull him back to his seat but our curiosity kept us frozen in our pews.  We watched as Frank stood near the manger where the little baby lay.  Scratching his head and then wringing his hands, he inched closer and closer to the baby.  He reached down toward the baby but quickly pulled back his arms.  He looked out at all of us then back to the baby.  At this point, the pastor realized that God had a different plan for the evening, and he gave up all attempts at finishing his sermon.  The sanctuary, filled with hundreds of men, women, boys and girls, was still and quiet as God’s message of love and grace began to unfold in front of our eyes.

Frank’s obvious confusion ultimately pulled him to his knees beside the manger.  He reached over to pick up the baby Jesus, and the sounds of tiny sniffles throughout the room grew into uncontrolled sobs as one heart after another began to break.  Quietly, a little angel slipped from her seat and made her way down the aisle of the sanctuary and to the side of Frank.  A sweet little voice said, “It’s ok, Frank,” as she gave her friend a big hug.  Frank knew this little angel – she shared her cookies with him every Sunday – so Frank asked his friend, “Do you know whose baby this is?”  “That’s baby Jesus,” she said emphatically.  “He’s God’s Son.”  Frank replied, “He’s all alone….just like me.”  The little angel giggled as she said, “Silly, Frank, that’s just a baby doll.  The real Jesus is in our hearts and that means we’re never alone.”

Tears began to roll down the face of our friend Frank as little angels, sheep, cows, shepherds and all the other children gathered around the baby Jesus, and our silence was broken.  Sweet melodies of Christmas rang out from the sanctuary piano and our hearts overflowed.  It took some time but the pastor finally convinced Frank that the baby in the manger scene was simply a doll but most importantly, the pastor was able to tell Frank about God’s love and the gift of His Son, Jesus.  That night, Frank left our Christmas service a changed man.  In fact, no one in that sanctuary was ever the same again.

---

Jesus, sent from heaven for you and for me, was a gift so precious that even a host of angels could not contain their great joy in telling the Good News of His birth nor could the shepherds, after seeing the baby, keep from sharing with all who would listen that the Savior had been born.  Yet, we often keep this gift to ourselves, storing it away for safekeeping and sharing it only on special occasions.  We celebrate Jesus’ birth and retell His story year after year then we walk away, leaving God’s Love lying in the manger.  May we be more like Frank this Christmas season and all the year through; may we embrace God’s most precious gift in spite of all that is happening around us and may we share His gift with the world.