Dear one,
“Blossom where you’re planted”: for some years my eyes stumbled across these words, as I routinely hurried from one moment to the next; but in recent days, as I continue to ponder the desert I beheld, or the desert that beheld me during my visit to Israel, they have captured my attention. No doubt reflecting an underlying Biblical theme from Genesis to Revelation, as those created “in the image of God,” we are “planted” in time and space, very much defined by a personal and cultural matrix.[1]
For instance, in many regards 20thcentury-Californian-American-male-Protestant-grandfather-pastor-intuitive introvert can define me. Admittedly, most often I resist such labels; instead I claim: “I am who I am,” perhaps failing to recognize that such a claim fully substantiates those characteristics of a 20thcentury male, who has lived most of his life in California, Massachusetts, and Indiana.
Now I share this with you, because I routinely I note the plight of those, who live in impoverished settings. I have seen, but have not lived, the poverty of those in Bangladesh, Malawi, and Uganda. And so, as I remind you of these circumstances, I remind myself, fully aware that my lifestyle in comparison is that of opulent luxury: my complaints regarding the internet, frigid air conditioning, or potholes become petty at best.
I am an American, who, for a season, has been given the privileged opportunity to care for a few, who live in dire circumstances; and yet, because I am rooted in a place called “Noblesville,” I live in a tension. I desire to care for some at a distance, who live with much less than I do, but my daily life involves those who live in or near my “ville.” Thus, I dare not let my neighbors’ wealth disguise his or her carefully camouflaged suffering and inner poverty. I am called to care for my neighbors far and near: “both/and” not “either/or.”
When their hurt and horror become bare and raw, it is well for you and me to blossom, as in a desert oasis, encouraging the Gardener’s nurturing touch. In those moments, for their benefit and ours, may we affirm Paul’s admonition: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers” (Romans 12:12-13).
Living in the tension of here and there,
Stan
[1]I just discovered: “matrix” is derived from “mother” and “womb.” Perhaps this you k