A father and his child would come to church regularly and the father’s practice was to hold the child. One Sunday morning in the midst of worship, the child was seized and writhed painfully… the father lifted him caringly, carried him to the back of the sanctuary, where he stood still rocking the child tenderly, speaking to him gently until finally the seizure relented… There was no sign of embarrassment or frustration on the father’s face, only love for the hurting child.
The pastor [Bob Welch] later said, “In that moment, while I was preaching, I was preached to. I heard God speak to my heart and say, ‘That’s the way I love you through your imperfections. I’m not embarrassed to have people know that you are my child.’” (Bob Olmstead, quoted by Megan McKenna, "Praying the Rosary")
(photo by Sally Mann)
No comments:
Post a Comment