Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” Luke 13:30  NIV

Her eyes are dull, her mouth turns down, and her step is
slow. She’s over fifty and she weighs over two hundred pounds. “Kathy” is a
church acquaintance from a congregation we attended thirty years ago. By any
American standard, greeting customers at Mejiers, she’s one of the “last.” Leaving
the store on Monday, I smiled a greeting.

“Karen, George had open-heart surgery four weeks ago.”
George was her husband, so overweight the last time I’d seen him that he was
using an electric scooter.

 I stopped and turned toward her. “I’m sorry to hear that. Is
he recovering okay?”

“He’s diabetic, so healing has been slow, but God has been
with us.”

 As she went on to describe their ordeal, I took an internal
deep breath and consciously focused on her words.

 As I listened, watching her face, a completely different
image flashed through my mind. I saw her leading a line of worshippers, twirling
a red silk flag, stepping high, eyes flashing in joy and wonder.

 After a few minutes she said, “Well, I’d better let you go.”
As I walked away, I thought, I’ve just seen her through God’s eyes. To him, she
is a precious, delightful worshipper, first in line. God doesn’t conceal impatience in her
presence. He rejoices over her heart. He looks forward to the consummation of
her life in the fully realized Kingdom. 

Father, we need your eyes to see each other as you see us.

Oops! I forgot to write a devotional yesterday. I’m taking
that as a sign. I need a break. So, watch for a new devotional in a month.

In the meantime, maybe you’d like to read some of my earlier
ones. www.karenrabbitt.typepad.com
contains more than 100 devotionals,
written since February of ’06. And here’s a photo for all of us who are waiting
for the energy that spring gives.