“We were healed because of His suffering." ~ Isaiah
53: 5
Makenzie woke, not wanting to get
out of bed. Nothing serious. She just didn’t want to go to work; wishing
instead for the weekend to come 24 hours early.
She hit the snooze button!
Her hope for tacking on a few more minutes of blissful sleep
was interrupted by a harsh knock on the back door; the kind that usually meant
trouble.
A quick glance from her bedroom window confirmed that Mrs. Cravitz
was back, wanting to know when Makenzie was going to chop down that nasty,
diseased tree. She was convinced that it
will infect her exotic flower garden.
From the ferocity of her voice, it wasn’t the first time
she'd practiced this conversation. She's
probably been telling her friends for some time and finally had just the right
combination of accrued anger and tacit support to attack. Makenzie listened without interruption until her
neighbor just glared; hands on hips, cheeks flushed with rage.
Time stopped briefly.
Makenzie’s anger boiled, churning within and hungry for
destruction. Unrestrained, her wrath
might force her to say things she would regret later.
Her first thought was to fetch a pen and paper. She wanted to write it down this time. In all caps she imagined scrawling "CORKSCREW
HAZEL.” Then she’d hand it over with an
insincere smile that barely hid her urge to hit the old woman. “Google it!"
Corkscrew Hazel is a shrub grown for its gnarled branches. Its twigs are artistic and carefree, turning
in random ways. Makenzie loved nature's
chaos – it helped her unwind.
But before she could speak, Isaiah 53:5 came to mind. When faced with pain, Jesus flipped it around,
setting a different example. He was hurt
by us, and returned His peace in response to the pain we caused.
Perhaps it’s not about the tree at all, she reasoned. Maybe this lonely woman is carrying a hidden
burden. It’s well-known that ‘hurt
people ... hurt people,’ inflicting their wounds on others.
“Good morning, Mrs. Cravitz,” Makenzie began. “I was just about to make a fresh pot of
coffee. Could I interest you in a
cup? I’m much better company after I had
a little hot java.”
Cravitz stood dumbstruck.
She’d come looking for a fight, but something in the younger woman’s tone
seemed to thaw her hostility. “And we
can discuss that awful tree?” she added.
“Of course,” Makenzie responded. What began as probable verbal warfare ended
in a caring friendship. Mrs. Cravitz
eventually grew to appreciate the peculiarity of that gnarly tree.
Makenzie’s ability to shift gears, to see an extremely
difficult situation from a different perspective, made it easier to show
compassion. It’s easier to want to help
when you grasp that someone else may be hurting.
Jesus, please help me see those crippled by
broken relationships or crushed dreams in a different light. Teach me to act more like You did – with
compassion so that by Your wounds the wounds of other are healed, too. Amen
