“Do you want me to be hard on you or to be kind and gentle?"
~ 1 Corinthians 4:21
Tanner hated going to the cemetery
and wanted to make sure his Mom knew it.
Pouting, sulking and whining were just three of the things he excelled
at. He wrinkled his nose and rolled down
the window before declaring, “This car stinks like lilacs!” Some Saturday he thought, visiting dead
people while everyone else is grilling burgers and playing baseball.
Calvary Cemetery was nicer than Tanner remembered; it was
park-like. Tall trees shaded rolling green
hills. A quiet pond glistened in the
sunshine. It was the perfect setting for
silent reflection and reliving memories gone bye.
Tanner thought of his bedroom at home. Mom had wanted him to decorate it in pale blue,
but Tanner chose red – a scarlet rug, “Big Red” posters, a red striped
bedspread. I’ll bet Papa would have
liked it, he thought.
Tanner found the grass clippers and clipped around Uncle Maxwell’s
grave. “What was Uncle Max like?” he
asked.
Mom planted petunias in front of his headstone. “He was full of mischief but very entertaining.
He loved to tell jokes and stories. Max was a doctor. Everyone said he cured his patients by making
them laugh. He died the same year you
were born.”
That must be why Mom named me Tanner Maxwell, he
reasoned. Tanner had never liked that
name much. But now, thinking about his
happy, joke-telling uncle, it didn’t seem as bad as he’d always thought.
With a little broom, Mom began sweeping dust off the
gravestones. “Can I do that?” Tanner asked. “I’m done with the clipping! Tell me about Cousin Tony, am I anything like
him?”
“Hmm,” Mom wrinkled her forehead. “Cousin Tony didn’t like
coming to the cemetery either!” They both laughed.
When they’d finished, Tanner looked back at neat, colorful
graves. Helping care for them had given him
a warm feeling inside. He felt closer to
family members he’d never met – and to Mom also. Maybe that’s a good reason for coming back next
year.
Sometimes the best lessons come from doing things we didn’t
want to do in the first place. Maybe
that gentle nudge from God turned into a treasure map for spiritual growth. So long as we don’t push back, our senses
come alive, our understanding quickens, our faith magnifies.
Dear Lord, we get busy. We get distracted. We miss out on Your soft nudges and gentle
whispers. But You still wait
patiently. I want to be more like Jesus
. . . I just don’t always know how.
Forgive me! Teach me! Heal me!
Amen
