Simply Norma

I was about 12, and my father, who had not been around much since my mother had to leave him, decided to come back and visit us.

We lived in an apartment on a boulevard.  It had 6 units — 3 stories high and 2 units on each floor.  It had a beautiful cement balcony and I liked to look at the cars go by or at the people walking past.

My father’s visit lasted about one week.  During this time, he painted our kitchen yellow. My memory of that time stops there.

But something else must have happened because later in the year, around Christmas time, my family (including extended family) decided that we were going to Indiana for the holidays.  I was adamant that I was not going because my father had told me that he was coming back for Christmas.  My Mama tried to tell me that he wouldn’t be coming.  But I believed my father.

Still having the naivete of a child, my father’s word was pure gold.

When the car arrived to take us to our destination, I hid.  They found me and physically had to pick me up, screaming, kicking and biting. I was determined not to miss my father’s visit.  Being overpowered by the strong arms of adults, I was shoved into the car where the rest of my siblings waited.  I was the only one who knew about my father’s promise to return.

At our destination, I stubbornly refused to get out of the car. They pulled me out and took me inside kicking and screaming.  I hit my head on the edge of a table and my Mami Saro (grandmother) yelled dejala quieta (leave her alone, in Spanish).  I pretended to be unconscious.

If nothing else, I gained a little pity having lost the valiant fight to be there for my father.

But he never came.  And from that day forward, I learned that promises are not always kept.  That those you love can and will disappoint you sometimes.  I learned mistrust.  I learned betrayal.

Then I read these words:

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me, that you also may be where I am.  John 14:3

Jesus speaks of His return for us, for me, in this verse.  Can I believe it?  Yes.  For He has never backed out of a promise.  He has always been there for me.

Sometimes, I can sense His presence so close that I reach my hand up to the sky to try to touch Him.

This time, I won’t be disappointed. This is one person I can believe and trust and He will come back for me.

The Badlands

Last evening, I stayed up late to watch a movie called The Soloist.  I’m not one to stay up late for too many things but this movie caught my attention even though I didn’t start watching it from the beginning.

The movie is about a journalist, Steve, who is looking for something newsworthy to write about.  He goes out into the streets of Los Angeles and finds a homeless man, Nathaniel Ayers, who has extraordinary music abilities playing the cello.

He writes about Nathaniel and does everything he can to help him.  But Nathaniel has a mental illness.  In one scene, Steve had set up an appointment for Nathaniel to meet with the philharmonic orchestra and Nathaniel could not leave his “things” behind.  “Things” such as a broom, an old pillow, cardboard that he slept on — important to Nathaniel although Steve was trying to move him in a “better” direction.

At one point in the story, Nathaniel beats Steve up because he believes that Steve is trying to have him committed (Steve does try to get Nathaniel psychiatric help but it has to be voluntary).

The movie ends with Steve making this statement:

“A year ago, I met a man who was down on his luck and thought I might be able to help him.  I don’t know that I have.  Yes, my friend Mr Ayers now sleeps inside.  He has a key.  He has a bed.  But his mental state, and his well-being, are as precarious now as they were the day we met.  There are people who tell me I’ve helped him.  Mental health experts say that the simple act of being someone’s friend can change his brain chemistry, improve his functioning in the world.  I can’t speak for Mr. Ayers in that regard.  Maybe our friendship has helped him.  But maybe not.  I can, however, speak for myself.  I can tell you that by witnessing Mr. Ayers courage, his humility, his faith in the power of his art, I’ve learned the dignity of being loyal to something you believe in.  Of holding onto it, above all else.  Of believing, without question, that it will carry you home.”

The movie was based on a real person.

It was only this morning that I realized why the movie stirred my heart.

I too have tried on many occasions to “help” only to find myself beaten in the end.  And I have believed, as the statement above quotes, “that the simple act of being someone’s friend can change his brain chemistry.”

Sometimes I just have to be and let life play itself out.  The results may not be what I want or expect but I still have to be “loyal to something you believe in.”

That’s the message God taught me from this movie.

1 Corinthians 13:7  Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

My first visit to the Seventh-day Adventist Church was when they were having communion.  Not being a member, I didn’t realize that they have the practice of washing each other’s feet before communion (the eating of the bread and drinking of grape juice).

Feet

The men went to one room and the women to another.  Pails of water, a large ladle and towels were set on a table.  Chairs were arranged so that one person could sit while another person washed the other person’s feet.  Having my feet washed by a stranger was odd.

Doing a little studying in the Bible, I read in Scripture about Jesus washing His disciples feet and it made sense to me. Some people think it’s awkward.  I have found it to be humbling.

A couple weeks back, I attended a Seventh-day Adventist church in Hudson, Wisconsin.  Again, they were having communion and they asked those who wanted to partake in the communion service to separate to wash one another’s feet. When I arrived upstairs, everything was ready although I didn’t have a partner.  A young woman came up to me and asked me if she could be my partner and I agreed.

The young woman went to get the pail of water and a towel.  While she was gone, I took my socks off and when she returned, she washed my feet.  The “washing” is not with soap and water but plain warm water.  She carefully wiped my feet dry and then I took the pail with the used water back to the table, added fresh water to the pail and went back and washed her feet.

Afterwards, we prayed.  I prayed for her family, her health and her spiritual condition.  I am always reminded of the Scripture where Jesus washed His disciples feet.

“Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under His power and that He had come from God and was returning to God; so He got up from the meal, took off His outer clothing and wrapped a towel around His waist.  After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him.  John 13:3-5

Serving each other.  Some would think it’s stooping too low but in reality it’s lifting us up towards God and humanity.  Our world would be so much different if our leaders would follow this example.

Surely if the Son of God can humble Himself to be a servant to us, we can humble ourselves to be a servant to others.

A fine example you are Jesus.  A mighty fine example.

The Desire of Ages: A Classic on the Life of Christ

Her name was Mary and I have to assume she had long hair.  Her sister’s name was Martha.  They, along with their brother Lazarus, received Jesus in their home for dinner.  Martha served the meal while Lazarus was reclining at the dinner table.

Mary gets up, takes .5 liters of perfume and goes to Jesus and pours it on His feet.  Then she wipes His feet with her hair.

That’s unusual in and of itself.  Imagine any woman going to a man’s feet and pouring perfume on them and then wiping the perfume with her hair.  Whoa!  Most of us would raise our eyebrows and gossip about it.  After all, Mary was not married to Jesus.  They were friends.

One of the people in the group, Judas, spoke up about this to Jesus.

John 12:4-5  But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray Him, objected, Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?  It was worth a year’s wages.”

Judas — his concern was about the money that could have been had by selling the perfume.  No concern about the unusual act of perfume being poured on Jesus feet.  We’re not told that anyone else spoke up about this, uh, act of love.  The Bible tells us that Judas was a thief and he used to take money from the money bag that they had.

I don’t understand why no one said anything.  Embarrassment?  Minding one’s own business? I wonder what the people there were thinking.  I would think that there had to be an intimate relationship between the two.  A very friendly bond. Some have alluded to Jesus having an affair with Mary but the Bible doesn’t state He ever had a relationship with a woman.

What did Jesus say about this act?  John 12:7-8  “Leave her alone, Jesus replied.  It was intended that she should save this perfume for my burial.  You will always have the poor among you but you will not always have me.”

Although Jesus could read people’s hearts, He did not condemn Judas as a thief but instead He directed His attention to what Judas said about the poor.

How often we think that God condemns us harshly.  It reminds me of the verse found in the book of John 3:17  “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved.”

No condemnation for Judas even though He was the one who was going to betray Jesus.  Does God really have to condemn us?  Don’t our acts condemn us by themselves?