Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Not always....
I'm not sure why I went.
I hadn't been to any of the the others.
That would be my high school class reunion.
Many times, I just couldn't go.
I was either living out of the area,
or had a schedule conflict.
But truth be told,
I just didn't want to go.
Some people have fond memories of school,
maintaining many friendships throughout life.
Not so much for me.
I do have small group of friends
with whom I have maintained friendship,
but for the most part,
I left high school in the rear view mirror.
My class didn't foster lots of warm fuzzy memories.
There was actually, a lot of painful moments my senior year.
People classified into jocks, band kids, ag and industrial arts kids and such.....
People treating others badly.
Typical adolescent behavior.
There was even a death via a car accident.
It was like a dark cloud followed us our senior year.
I mean that figuratively AND literally.
Our Homecoming game & dance
occured during a driving rain storm.
Our Snow Dance in the winter
was held in 36 degree weather with a touch of drizzle.
The Spring Prom......
let's just say that umbrellas and ponchos
were as in vogue as tuxes and gowns.
That left Graduation.
Did it rain, you ask?
Oh, not just rain,
there were hurricane warnings.
First graduating class in school history
to be rained off the athletic field.
The power went off during the ceremony
in the steamy, cramped auditorium.
They ran out of the fake diplomas by the letter W.
Someone fell off the back row of risers.
I'm not sure he or she ever made it to Pomp and Circumstance.
Oh, there were a lot of good memories, don't misunderstand me.
It's just that most of my deep friendships were fostered outside of my class.
35 years later,
with the urging of my best friend in high school,
I decided to attend the reunion.
In some ways, it was like any other reunion
that had passed the 15 year odometer.
Checking name tags very carefully.
Wondering how people could have changed so much....
Wondering why a certain few HADN'T changed so much.
Who had less hair,
who had more weight,
who had the most wrinkles.
I began to understand something
somewhere between the appetizers and the dessert.
People had changed.
Not just in physical appearance,
but they had changed internally.
Cheryl was seated at table #6.
Diagnosed with diabetes in high school,
Cheryl had physical diabilities that caused her
to live a less than typical high school experience.
She had had a small group of friends
who always helped her navigate the hallways
and other mazes of the daily school schedule.
But for the most part, she had been shunned and overlooked
by many who were too busy to stop and care.
35 years later,
Cheryl sat at table #6.
Legally blind now at the age of 53,
she allowed others to come to greet her.
And come they did.
Not just her close friends.
The jocks, the band kids, the ag & industrial arts kids,
kids now in their fifties.
50 something year old kids who realized how unkind they had been to Cheryl.
Fifty year olds who realized that THEY had missed out on the opportunity
to know the goodness and grace of Cheryl.
Some apologized for their behavior in high school.
Others asked how she was doing.
Everyone said how good it was to see her.
People had changed, for the better.
We had matured.
We had become something far better than we had been.
Life has a way of doing that.
Time has a way of nurturing that,
and God insists on that.
I think that is why God gives us time,
whether it be twenty, fifty, eighty, or even a hundred years.
He gives us time to be converted to His heart.
Time to learn how to live in His likeness,
time to live more for others than for self,
time to prepare us for life with Him.
Imagine what needs to be left behind at heaven's door.....
racism, selfishness, impatience,
whatever your shortcoming is.
Imagine hearing
"Please check your unChristlike attitudes and behaviors at the door
before you sit down to the heavenly banquet."
None who claim Christ in this life achieve His likeness fully on this side.
But when we go to our heavenly reunion,,
we will take on His likeness fully.
In heaven, there are no band kids, no jocks, no ag kids,
there is one fellowship.
Though our flaws won't keep us out of heaven,
won't it be better if we have less of them to surrender at the gates?
And won't it make life on this side,
closer to the Kingdom that God intends for us right now?
The more things change,
the more like Christ we can become.
Great reunion with my classmates.
Oh, it rained that night.
Some things NEVER change.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature;
the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come."
2 Corinthians 5:17
No comments:
Post a Comment