The following comes from the Lenten series “When the Path Gets Rocky, 2018”

Scripture: Mark 9:38-41

John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

Have you ever felt threatened by the generosity or faith of another? Do you consider your belief the only way to have faith? How open are you to God working outside the boundaries of the Christian community, tradition, and your faith understanding? How big is your concept of God?

FIVE-MINUTE STORY:

Ever since I can remember, I have enjoyed drawing. For me, to have a pencil in hand and the space of a blank page for creating is satisfying. Throughout elementary school and high school, I drew a variety of things from doodles in the margins of my notebooks to detailed sketches with shading. When I reached college, I was excited for the opportunity to take a drawing class as one of my liberal arts credits. I never had a drawing class, and I was sure that I could benefit from some technical training. With enthusiasm, I gathered all the supplies ahead of time.

With pencils, eraser, and a brand new sketchbook in hand, I entered the large studio classroom. The professor walked in and made his way to the chalkboard. Silently, he started to sketch an apple. It was a nice looking apple, complete with shading. On the other side of the chalkboard, he scribbled a squiggle. When done, he addressed the class; “Class, which is the true representation?”

I sensed a set-up. True representation? The apple looked like an apple. The squiggle didn’t look like anything at all. As I deliberated, a more adventurous classmate responded, “the apple!” Wrong. The squiggle? Right!

Huh? Bewildered, I listened to the teacher’s explanation, “The squiggle was being true to itself - it was a squiggle and nothing more. The other image, however, was pretending to be an apple. The image of the apple lacks integrity because it was not true to itself.”

After class, I left the art studio and marched straight to the Registrar to drop the course. I was not ready for philosophy. I wanted to be taught to draw what I saw. Looking back, the "squiggle experience" threatened me. It operated outside my carefully scripted world.

Sadly, I missed an opportunity to not only develop my artistic skill but also to expand my thinking. I wasn’t ready for this type of growth. At the time, I was too focused on mirroring and copying the world around me, that I couldn’t grasp underlying truths. I was also too obsessed with grades. I couldn’t risk my grade point average to a class where the professor had “weird” ideas.

Looking back to the sketches in my drawing pads, they tell a story. I tried to capture every detail of what my eyes witnessed. In the process, these images lack emotion and fail to connect with the heart. I sought elusive perfection and precision. I missed the beauty and imperfection of life that good art brings to bear upon our conscience.

I regret my not having the courage to stay in that class. I know now that I would have benefited from the strange lessons that would have challenged my carefully guarded assumptions. But I wasn’t ready, and there is something to be said about the wisdom of the student needing to find the teacher. Now, I am finally open to learning from squiggles.