Earritating

I still don't like shaving! This is from April 26, 2016!
I'm a routine guy. Monday through Friday during the academic year, my mornings are breathtakingly repetitive as I prepare to workout and then proceed to school. This morning saw a self-inflicted wrench tossed into my carefully choreographed checklist. As I was shaving, carelessly it turns out, my Gillette Mach 3 Razor sliced into my ear lobe. It bled through the ointment I applied and the toilet paper I pressed on to staunch the flow. Convinced I could live without a transfusion, I stayed on schedule and survived my swimming in a chlorine laden pool workout. The bleeding stopped but the questions started when school began. People who never comment on my appearance asked about the particulars and even pointed out the red stain on my my Jos A Bank ecru oxford shirt. I even had a prayer request from an 8th grader that my ear would heal quickly- thanks Haley! It's starting to scab over fifteen hours later so by Friday, I should be back to normal. No serious scar in the forecast!

Of all days, guess what my 8th graders quizzed over in class today? Luke 22:39-71 wherein the servant of the high priest gets his ear removed by a sword wielding apostle. We have to go to the other Gospels to find the apostle was Peter, the servant was Malchus, and the ear was the one on the right side of the poor guy's face. I find it fascinating that the final miracle of Jesus was not raising the dead or cleansing a leper. It was reattaching an ear to someone who was in the posse who arrived to arrest Him. I doubt Malchus would have died from the wound- one of my players had her ear severed in a car accident and successfully rejoined-  but Jesus made him physically whole after only seconds of being maimed. An act of kindness to repair the damage of an impetuous act inflicted by an impetuous man. You know, we've all been Malchus but then again, we've all been Peter. We've been damaged and we've caused damage. But the healing can still come from the One whose touch brought restoration to both the body and spirit. And I know you can hear what I'm saying.

Applicable quote of the day: 
“We scarcely know how much of our pleasure and interest in life comes to us through our eyes until we have to do without them; and part of that pleasure is that the eyes can choose where to look. But the ears can't choose where to listen.” 

Ursula K. Le Guin

God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1

E-mail me at shawley@westburychristian.org