Tuesday, March 4, 2008
How Will They Know
Series
2 Corinthians 4:16a “Therefore we do
not lose heart.”
Uncle
Eli
I spent hours in my grandparent’s casing house where we
would put chicken eggs on the conveyer belt. They were sorted into small,
medium, and large eggs and then boxed and sold to grocery chains.
There was a picture of my Uncle Eli in the casing house.
This picture showed Uncle Eli as a very handsome man of
23 years old. It was taken on what was to be his wedding
day. My grandparents told me how much he was in love with
Tess. Tess was several years younger than my great uncle. They
had been planning to get married for a couple of years. The night
before they were to get married he sat on the front porch with her and they
planned their life together.
The next day Uncle Eli put on his new suit, his pocket
watch was in his pocket, and a boutonničre in his lapel. He looked
very handsome that day. Unfortunately, the bride never showed
up. Soon after he left her that night before, she asked her father
to take her to
Uncle Eli and Tess had planned to have a wedding picture
made and had paid the photographer. When the photographer asked what
he should do, Eli said, “Just take a picture of me.” That picture
has haunted me all my life. I would look at the photograph and it would
seem to always follow me. His blue eyes looked incredibly
sad.
Several
weeks ago I started painting that picture. I really started with the
eyes and wherever you go in the room his eyes follow you. I painted
the shadow coming down across the picture because you see, that’s what happened
to his life. Eli returned to the farm the night of his hoped-for
wedding. He moved out of the big-house and into a shanty of a tenant
farm house. He never returned to church. He never
married. He never met consistently the expectations of him on the
farm. Though he lived many years, he died the day his bride didn’t
show up.
We each have things that have happened to us that cause
us great pain. We can either dry our eyes, put on our clothes, and
go out and face the world or give up. They used to say about some
people in Cronicville, “There was no give-up in ´em.” Let’s not give
up when bad things happen. If we are hurt it is important to face
it, mourn over it, and live the rest of our lives.
With the resurrection, Jesus said that what was dead is
really alive. If we keep living and hoping we can never tell how the bad
things can turn out. Never give up!
Prayer:
Dear God, when we have to deal with hurt, please help me
to have the courage to face life. Amen.