Once there
was a pencil maker and before packaging his pencils he would tell each one the
following, “I want you to remember four things wherever you go: you will always
need a hand to guide you, at times you will need to be sharpened, what’s
important is in the inside and leave a mark wherever you go.” Father Martin shared this little Irish
parable that has in its simplicity four very important lessons for each of us
to draw from. Let’s dissect it.
You will always need a
hand to guide you. In our Christian walk we must always remember that we are not alone. Many times we will need friends and loved
ones to guide us through life, to help us make wise choices, to support and
encourage us. I love how Jesus sent his
disciples in teams of two knowing how much we need each other. In this culture where individualism is held
so highly we need to have the humility to accept that as self-sufficient as we
might be, life when shared reaches the magnitudes that God wants for us. “Happiness is only real if shared,” after
all.
At times you will need
to be sharpened. Pain helps us become better people and to
expand in love. When we go through
heartaches we have two choices: to become bitter and harden our hearts or to
allow the pain to shape us into more definite images of Christ. After, I experience moments of great
tribulation I always realize that God used those difficult experiences for my
good- and though I whine and whimper during the process afterwards I always
feel holier or at least a bit more mature (smile). Pain also helps us relate to others and makes
us more compassionate.
What’s important is in
the inside. The
magazines sell glamour which is shallow, but true beauty always has depth
because it comes from the inside it’s the goodness of God in all of us. Glamour gets boring and expires with every
new trend, but beauty is classic and has layer upon layer to discover. And the more we uncover the more beautiful
each person becomes.
Leave a mark wherever
you go. Wherever
life takes you be a blessing to others. During
my vacation, I spent some time with a couple living in sin and at every meal I
would silently say grace. They noticed
that I would pray and slowly they started asking me questions about my faith.
We had great discussions about Catholicism, Pope Francis and the purpose of
life. By the last day of my stay the
man asked me if I could say grace out loud.
He and his lover bowed their heads in reverence and after grace he
smiled huge before starting our meal. Everywhere you go you leave a mark the type
of mark you leave is your choice.
Sometimes
little stories can teach us so much! This Pencil Parable moved me deeply and I
wanted to share it with you, the wisdom is not my own it comes from Father
Martin… After my trip I learned that my
friend’s sister committed suicide and next week I will be attending funeral
services for her. I also came back to
work to learn that my boss was fired and now I have a new boss with a
challenging personality. Life is difficult and painful at times, but we always have a choice to smile trusting
that God is our difference in this world.
No comments:
Post a Comment