Pebbles in the Ocean
Do you ever wonder when things will be clear and easy to understand?
His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things had been written of him and had been done to him. - John 12:16
In today's Gospel account, John tells us the disciples had to rely on hindsight to get a clear picture of what Jesus was trying to show them while he was with them.
How often does that happen to us? We hold off making a decision until we have all the facts, and yet each day more uncertainty arises pushing the confidence of our decision farther away.
Eventually, we tell ourselves, we will know the impact of our actions, but not necessarily before we do them.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing. It puts the truth into perspective in a way that prophecy or planning cannot.
Some of my greatest accomplishments are only visible through the rearview mirror, thanks of course to the process of aggregating them into resume material.
But seriously, how do we know just how important a moment or an action is at the time? A visit to someone who receives a dreaded prognosis could be the right medicine at the right time.
We have no way of knowing how much the little things we do matter to others.
But the evangelist, John, paints a picture of Jesus as the one who knew it would take time to see the value of his presence in their lives. That may sound self-centered, but I don't think that was the case.
I believe he knew how hard it was for his disciples to grasp the enormity of his mission, especially since it was like a pebble in the ocean at the time. Who would have guessed he would eventually have billions of followers?
I just picked up some fine men's coats from a woman who would like to make sure the people who receive them really need them. She told me her father was a great man and it is difficult to part with his things.
I assured her that we will do all we can to make sure the coats find good homes and I know they will be much appreciated. Her father's spirit lives on.
It doesn't take much to make a difference. It just takes a desire to do something.
Isn't that the best we can do anyway? All we do is something small, and yet when we look back at the things we did, we may here a voice inside say, "Wow! That was really something!"
More to come...