| February 2010 |
| Lighttomylamp@live.com |
| JESUS WEPT As the rain came down softly, we questioned, “How can it be raining when the sun is shining so brightly?” An inmate exclaimed, “My grandmother always said that when it rains while the sun is shining, Jesus is weeping.” Instantly, I thought about my being impatient with the inmates, who were working in the kitchen, when they asked for supplies. After reflecting on my behavior and promising to improve, I thought about the quote from the Bible, “Jesus wept” (JN. 11:35). Recently I began a video course on writing, Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer’s Craft with Professor Brooks Landon. He mentions that “Jesus wept” is the shortest verse in the New Testament and, of course, a very short sentence. He goes on to say, “Sentences contain propositions that are not necessarily written out.” Therefore, my mind wanders. I think about myself floating on the water in the boat called, “Jesus wept.” I dive into the water and immediately see, floating by, all the opportunities that I missed, to serve the Lord. I look down and on the bottom of the lake and I see my indifference, while performing my work duties, just lying there. Catching me unaware, I become tangled in my bad habits that are growing ever so quickly. As I try to untangle myself and get ready to escape the quagmire, the sun shines through the water and I return to the boat. On the bottom of the boat, shining brightly, I see another short sentence leading to a great proposition, “I love you!” My mind returned to my course concerning short sentences and long sentences so I decided to compose a long sentence that may propose your mind to wander: hearing taps, seeing the unfolding of the American flag and the refolding, the rifle shots, the salutes, hearing the sobbing, seeing the sad faces, knowing the circumstances of the death—the driver who drove under the influence of alcohol driving through the stop sign killing two people, imagining the feelings of a good friend who works with the alcohol and drug addicted inmates, and my imagining that it could be a funeral for my two daughters, who served in the military, lead me to tears. Again I came back to the Lord, who gave his only son for us. |
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