"Discipleship does not measure compassion in terms of efficiency and return but seeks out every 'little one' who requires more than we might be ready to give."
Jay Cormier, "Give Us This Day"
This struck me this morning because it is the very definition of the "hard ones" that Jesus is constantly asking me to seek and love. The "easy ones" are just easy--the 99 sheep munching away in the meadow--easy to love, right? But that one sheep that goes wandering; that's the one God is especially asking me to reach out to. Jesus tells us that is what the Good Shepherd does--goes off after the one difficult sheep when there are 99 doing just what they're supposed to do. It's the one who needs going after. We all have these Ones in our lives, don't we? The one kid who marches to a different drummer, the one relative who grates on our nerves. Or maybe it's the co-worker who doesn't do her share in the office. Our compassion toward these people must not be doled out according to how we feel toward them or how much we may receive back from them. Our compassion and love must be inefficient...over and above...going after them even though it may not be convenient. They are the ones who need us the most. Love, heidi
I also read J ay Cormier's reflection on "Ninety-Nine-to-One". Yes, there certainly are "little ones" who are also hard ones to love! I have a 89 year old Mom with dementia, and she can honestly be difficult to love. Ditto with two adult sons, who I have been tempted to leave on the rocky, craggy mountain that they have put themselves on...but Jesus calls us to specifically go after those!
ReplyDelete