Wednesday, Dec 1, 2021
“Too Much Detail”
A couple of days ago, I walked through the Christmas Garden display at the Chapel where I serve (www.longboatislandchapel.org) The Chapel Garden is a beautiful display of foliage native to our area. A brick path winds through the 1 ½ acre garden, around thick ferns, and between towering palm, cedar, and banyan trees. The garden is always quite beautiful and serene. This year, Chapel folks and community participants have decorated the Garden for Christmas. It is truly something to experience!
A few days ago, I was walking through the Garden, paying close attention to the lights that are hung on the trees. Like Clark Griswold, I probably hung a few of these lights in places that should have been left alone. However, on this certain day, I happened to notice that one of the lights wasn’t lit. Out of the thousands upon thousands of lights on display in the Garden, I notice that one light! (“The little lights weren’t twinkling”!)
In true “Christmas Vacation” fashion, I retreated to my office, which is just across the parking lot. I donned my tool belt, retrieved my wagon (containing extra lights, fuses, cords, and tools), and headed back to the Garden to fix the light.
I disconnected the power supply from the electrical circuit, located the burned-out bulb, and replaced it with a new bulb. Satisfied with my expert work, I plugged in the power source, expecting to see all of the lights work properly. Instead, I heard a “POP!”, and then the entire Garden’s power shut down. Not only did I lose the string of lights I just repaired, but I also lost everything by tripping the breaker (again).
Late Monday afternoon (Nov 29), the electricians finished their work. When darkness arrived, the Garden was lit again with all the brilliance that I had hoped. To satisfy my own curiosity, I walked over to the string of lights that had caused me so much grief. I followed the string and arrived at a bulb that was burned out. In fact, I think it was the same bulb socket that had triggered the entire blackout several days before. Now, a question for you: Would you replace the bulb again or leave it alone, even if the electricians say it’s “Okay”?
It is easy to forget that God works in the details of life. Sometimes, these details may look like a mistake, when, in fact, they are exactly the way they need to be. Whether I’m aggravated by a burned-out bulb or someone who grates my last nerve, it’s difficult for me to remember that it’s not my job to “fix” everything and everyone. Rather, my job is to show people that God loves them, despite the burned-out bulbs in all of us. God loves you and me, despite what we think and see sometimes.
Neither of us is perfect but both of us are beautiful!
“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John, 3:17, NRSV)