By Melanie Rigney
(Ahijah tore his cloak into twelve
pieces and said to Jeroboam:) “Take ten pieces for yourself; the Lord, the God
of Israel, says: ‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s grasp and will
give you ten of the tribes. One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David
my servant, and of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of
Israel.’” (1 Kings 11:31-32)
And
people brought to (Jesus) a deaf man who had a speech impediment and begged him
to lay his hands on him. He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put
his fingers into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he
looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!” (that
is, “Be opened!”) And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech
impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.
(Mark 7:32-35)
Piety
Lord, open
my ears, my heart, and my soul to Your private corrections and guidance.
Study
It’s surely
happened to you. You mispronounce or misuse a word while you’re with a group of
people. Or maybe everyone knows you’re trying to lose weight, and you go ahead
and order that mud pie for dessert. Then, someone feels the need to “helpfully”
point out that one doesn’t pronounce the T in “often” or the calories in that
dessert pretty much account for the total you’re supposed to eat for an entire
day.
Yes, that’s
sooo helpful, isn’t it, when people draw attention to our deficiencies in
public? Think about how differently we feel when someone takes us aside later
to discuss such situations.
Everyone knew the man in today’s Gospel
reading couldn’t hear and couldn’t speak. That’s why they brought him to Jesus.
Yet Jesus didn’t dwell on the man’s disabilities in public, didn’t put him on
display like a freak, didn’t treat him like an object to be used to show his
own greatness. No, he had the kindness and decency to take the man aside to heal
him.
God does
that with each of us, every day. If we slow down enough to listen, we can hear
His gentle corrections and feel His healing when it’s just the two of us. God
doesn’t seek to embarrass us or make public examples of us, just to bring us
ever closer to Him. May we strive to do the same when we have the opportunity
to heal or instruct.
Action
Just for
today, make a note every time you feel the urge to publicly correct friends and
acquaintances. Pray for the wisdom to overcome that temptation tomorrow.
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