Wednesday in the Fourth Week of Lent
When your word goes forth it gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
Psalm 119:130
I smile and say hello to the receptionist as I sign the visitor’s book. My greeting is almost automatic as this is a place I visit often. Then I pause as it dawns on me what her work actually entails, and I take a moment to thank her. Hers is an important job. She is the first point of contact for those coming into this place. She greets them, directs them, assists them. She offers hospitality to strangers. Those she encounters may be at ease, or lost, or confident, or distressed, or rude, or confused, or pleasant. Regardless, her job is to create welcome and offer direction and comfort—and, in between the visitors, to accomplish other administrative tasks that the organization needs.
There are so many people I encounter on any given day who ease my way, who remove obstacles from my path without my knowledge, who work to create a place of welcome for me when they don’t even know who I am.
There are so many people that I overlook and gifts I fail to notice. My own gifts and the gifts of others. My lack of attention does not negate these spiritual offerings that adorn any day. They are waiting, ready for me to see them, take them in, be nurtured by them. The Word of God is at work in the world, lighting my path, easing my way.
Image credit: romasph / 123RF Stock Photo
