Tuesday, March 01, 2005

Who is My Brother?

Alternate title: "Who is My Sister?"

I've been thinking about the Samaritans in my life. Sunday's lesson really brought home to me my tendency to pick and choose who I share my faith with. Am I acting as though some people are not worthy of God's greatest gift? Or am I simply saying that there are those who wouldn't accept it no matter what so why waste the time? I have been very bad about avoiding "sinners," in other words doing the exact opposite of what Jesus did. I have had a knee-jerk reaction to homosexuals, pedophiles, rapists...as have a lot of people. The problem, I think, comes when we identify them as homosexuals, pedophiles, and rapists rather than flawed children of the Maker. The former identification sets them clearly apart from me; the latter makes us brothers and sisters. When I remember that we are ALL flawed and that God's grace abounds to all, it gets really hard to feel superior to anyone. "The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." (I Sam. 16: 7)

So, I guess I'm going to work tomorrow. I'll tape the game and watch it when I get home. It's just spring training anyway and I need to be here for tutorial after school. And there will be other games too. Spring games are getting more popular to broadcast. The Angels have at least two games coming up soon on WGN and on ESPN. Lisa is threatening to put her sign up early this year. You know, the one that usually goes up on opening day. The one that says, "We interrupt this marriage to bring you baseball season."

I was thinking this morning about how genuinely nice my students are this year. Without exception, every single class is filled with good, good kids. They make me want to come to work even when I'm just dog-tired. We joke around more than I remember being able to do any other year. They're just the best of the best. Salary, conflicts over benefits, overwork, and underappreciation aside...I truly have the best job in the world.

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