Eric Demar or scubadogg as he goes by on Twitter is someone I am having the privilege and honor of building an online friendship with. I enjoy reading his posts on his blog. I thoroughly enjoy IMing with him often till wee hours of the morning, my time Eric. It really has been a true honor. Everything Eric writes is well thought out, deep and true. I hope you enjoy Eric's post today will follow him on twitter, and read his blog; promise it will be one encouraging read for you.
I remember growing up and visiting my father’s aunt’s house and was amazed at something I hadn’t seen before, nor seen since. There was plastic covering all the furniture, and a plastic runway to protect the carpeting.
It’s one of my clearest memories I have as a young child. I remember her saying “Fifteen years and the sofa is as good as new.”
During the summer (this was before central air was all the rage) they didn’t sit in the hot house, on that plastic. They remained outdoors even during storms. (A family story is passed down that Virginia’s husband was hit by lightning during a storm.) They kept everything perfectly preserved, and at the estate sale I could still hear her voice, “Thirty-five years, and still – good as new.”
Jesus did not hold Himself in reserve. At Cana, His first miracle was turning the water into wine at a wedding. Jesus poured out the best of His affection freely to all He encountered.
1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there;
2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.”
4 And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each.
7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim.
8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it to him.
9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter called the bridegroom,
10 and said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when the people have drunk freely, then he serves the poorer wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.”
11 This beginning of His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
~John 2:1-11
This is significant because we, as Christians, are to follow His example. We too often dole out our affection in small droplets for people we encounter. We ration it out as if it is going to run out and we’ll have nothing left. We have all encountered that professor that said “no one deserved an A”, or the boss who could never say, “Well done!”
I met someone recently that displays affectionate spontaneity when I travelled to a swim meet earlier this year. I noted that she was having a difficult time smiling that day, and I reached out to her, quite unlike my normal reserved character. Her response to me was so affectionate, and unexpected, that I felt as if she had turned the tables on me and was reaching out to me, to cheer my day.
Too many people go through life acting like Olympic judges, measuring people’s performance in tenths of a point before we open our hearts to them.
Why do we wait to serve the best wine? Jesus, like so many people today, never reached the age of forty. Perhaps knowing that He wouldn’t be here long is what caused Him to serve the best wine first. He gave the wine freely to anyone who wanted it. He poured out the best of Himself to all He encountered.
He served only the best wine.
Q: What are you covering in plastic in your life, saving for some special occasion?
Q: How often do you withhold love and affection until someone has “earned” it?
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