The obligatory medical “informational and inspirational” video was running on a loop as I waited in the doctor’s office. I learned that 70-79% of the world’s population has brown eyes. You can eat eggs five weeks after the “sell by” date if they’ve been in the fridge at a temperature below 45 degrees. As it continued, a couple of quotes lassoed my wandering thoughts. One was from someone we associate with religion, Mother Teresa. She said, “If you judge others, you will have no time to love them.” True and inspiring. The second quote by the late songwriter/poet Leonard Cohen, (a Jewish man who dabbled in Buddhism- not a Christian role model) is the one that filled me with hope. He said, “There’s a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
Why was that quote so arresting? It was a direct answer to a prayer I had just prayed for a prodigal I love. This person can be “a tough nut to crack” but is cracked (like all of us), nonetheless. I had been praying about that particular “crack” or broken place and the Lord was letting me know it was the very place His light would penetrate and overpower the darkness.
The takeaways: Like Balaam’s donkey, the Lord can speak through unlikely vessels, and He can speak in unlikely places. I had spent time reading the Bible and praying earlier (which I highly recommend.) But He chose the doctor’s office as a place of encounter. It was a reminder to me to listen and be alert. He is always speaking. He answers our prayers. He is always working for our good, despite our dullness and lack of awareness. In our weakness and cracked places, His light transforms.
By: Nan Robertson
~ Christ Fellowship