For a Friend

Here I am...on the verge of exhaustion, and yet the one thing I want to do, I can't do. Sleep.
I realized today while I was at work that my blog post last night was a lot of...well, basically a lot of nothing so I took care of it. If any of you read it and could actually make sense out of it, then kudos to you! (You must be as deliriously beat as I am!!!)

Anyway...shortly after I posted last night, a friend of mine sent me a message in regards to something I said to them. This person struggles in ways that are different than mine and yet we share a common bond in that we both "struggle." I firmly believe that as Christians, we are called to encourage, uplift, and support one another. Upon reading the message in my inbox last night, I was heartbroken to read how a fellow believer reacted to someone who was sincerely trying to open her heart and express her raw emotions in an honest way.

I read something today that totally reminded me of this person and what they are presently going through and so I wanted to share:

This is taken from a book called, "The Signature of Jesus" by Brennan Manning.

"Henri Nouwen tells the story of an old man who used to meditate early every morning under a big tree on the bank of the Ganges River. One morning, after he had finished his meditation, the old man opened his eyes and saw a scorpion floating helplessly in the water. As the scorpion was washed closer to the tree, the old man quickly stretched himself out on one of the long roots that branched out into the river and reached out to rescue the drowning creature. As soon as he touched it, the scorpion stung him. Instinctively, the man withdrew his hand. A minute later, after he had regained his balance, he stretched himself out again on the roots to save the scorpion. This time the scorpion stung him so badly with his poisonous tail that his hand became swollen and bloody and his face contorted with pain.
At that moment, a passerby saw the old man stretched out on the roots struggling with the scorpion and shouted, "Hey, stupid old man, what's wrong with you? Only a fool would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, evil creature. Don't you know you could kill yourself trying to save that ungrateful scorpion"
The old man turned his head. Looking into the stranger's eyes, he said calmly, "My friend, just because it is the scorpion's nature to sting, that does not change my nature to save."
Sitting here at my typewriter in my study, I turn to the symbol of the crucified Christ on the wall to my left. And I hear Jesus praying for his murderers, "Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing."
The scorpion he had tried to save had finally killed him. To me, the passerby who sees him stretched out on the tree roots and who shouts, "Only a madman would risk his life for the sake of an ugly, ungrateful creature," Jesus answers, "My friend, just because it is fallen mankind's nature to wound, that does not change my nature to save.""

And to my friend...I love you. I love what you're doing and I love that you're persevering, even though you may not feel like it! :) God bless you and Rich for your hearts. You're forever changing a little guy's life and showing him love like he's more than likely never known... Stay strong!