I'm volunteering in my daughter's classroom today.
Surrounded by flowers, magnifying glasses, and scissors, I'm told I should let the children observe, draw, and then tear the flowers apart for scientific purposes.
"There's juice in here!" One boy cries and squeezes out the insides of the flower's stem. "There's lots of juice in here, but it smells like asparagus." He passes the stem around to let the others share in his discovery.
"Did you know," another boy claims, "that if you cut a cactus in half, you could drink all the juice inside and live for days in the desert? Did you know that?"
"I'm so relieved!" I say. "We wouldn't die out there. We'd find a cactus and slurp all the juice."
"We'd be OK," the children say, comforted by the thought of it.
We would. I look at flowers and stems cut to pieces around me. At that point of destruction, water flows. We keep tearing, and I think, "Even in the desert, we'd survive."
We're all nodding together as water seeps onto our magnifying glasses, our fingers, and even our desks.
We will survive. No matter what the drought, we will. Torn apart, water flows.
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Penn State needs continued prayer. Thank you.
So poetic..."torn apart, water flows"...but also spiritually true. We don't like tearing things. We don't like deserts. But GOD IS in the middle of those things too.
ReplyDeleteAnd sometimes God has to tear things apart so that we can discover the water that flows from within.
ReplyDeleteI understand your pain at Penn State over the abuse of children. What I don't understand is the support of Joe Pa and others despite the anguish, shame and pain these children will suffer for years. So like church hierarchies who cover for abusive priests and pastors....Water flows in tears and pain....
ReplyDeleteI had to comment on this...it went down deep in me and resounded! I immediately thought of the water that flowed out of Jesus on the cross bringing me life as His body was torn apart.
ReplyDeleteHow my life has been torn from what I planned and yet I pray it is bringing water to others through His hands that always know what will bring life...I love Him
So beautifully said Bethlmoss! I love the connection to Jesus.
ReplyDeleteThe support of JoePa is very confusing, I agree!
ReplyDeleteSo true.
ReplyDeleteIndeed! Indeed!
ReplyDeleteYes. So many wounded, so much collateral damage. Praying for those abused and also for those who minster to students and the community.
ReplyDeleteProfoundly beautiful. I hope your students read this. They need it now.
ReplyDelete