I’m reading a book at the minute with the main character being a woman who has lost her husband and baby in an accident. After a year of sinking to the depths of despair and becoming addicted to painkillers and alcohol she gets “her act together” and stops abusing herself but becoming “clean” is being led by her desire for vengeance on the driver of the car who didn’t stop.
I was quite surprised by a short paragraph in the story. The lady visited a graveyard and dissolved into tears at the grave of a young child. This was witnessed by the Vicar who comforted her and invited her into the church for a chat and a hot drink. She remarked that the church was beautiful to which the Vicar answered, “Thank you, but the beauty of a church isn’t visible in its decor or the monuments to the great and the good. It’s present in the love that people share with each other and with God.”
In a book about despair, vengeance and wrong-doing I thought this was so up-lifting and true. It’s about how welcoming and caring we are for others that is so much more important than whether there’s a layer of dust on the church furniture.
A Prayer – Heavenly Father, thank you for helping us to show your love to all and for teaching us the importance of putting You before manmade objects.