Dear friends,
It’s amazing what happens when we just ask a simple question. It can open up a whole new world to us.
Recently I was at a restaurant, and I noticed that our waitress had several tattoos. I always assume that people who have tattoos want you to ask about them. Why else would they mark their bodies forever with ink?
I asked about a quote that was on her shoulder, and she told me that it said, "The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive."
Wow,” I said, “that’s a great quote and very true.”
I wanted ask her more about why that was important to her, but I can only imagine that it was important to her in the same way that it would be important to all of us. We all get stuck in a labyrinth of hurts and wounds.
I googled the quote and found it was from a book by John Green called
Looking for Alaska.
It’s a coming of age book that’s been popular with young adults and also very controversial. In 2016, parents urged schools in Marion County, Kentucky, to drop it from their school curriculum.
Where am I going with this? I discovered a whole new world that gives me some insight into the way some young people see life because I asked a simple question. Besides, that quote is a great reminder that forgiveness is the way out of the labyrinth suffering.
This weekend I’m preaching from James chapter 4. It’s about putting our faith to work when we find ourselves in conflict with other people. It’s down-on-the-ground theology where we all live.
See You Sunday,
David
