The pastor sank his small...
Illustration
The pastor sank his small shovel into the sand. He wasn't looking for anything particular; he just had an urge to dig, perhaps to bring back memories from childhood visits to the beach. Memories were an important part of vacationing. Day-to-day demands left too little time for meditation. Often he'd lose himself in busy-ness, and somehow lose God in the process.
His parishioners would find that surprising, he knew. But he was no different than they. He too had doubts; he too struggled at times with self-esteem, prayer, laziness, loneliness, greed, selfishness. Like them, he was a vulnerable human being, and contrary to what some of them thought, he did not have all the answers to life.
As his shovel bit into sand for a fourth time, there was more resistance. Something was buried. Letting go of his thoughts, he began to pay attention to digging and soon had uncovered a small black chest. Carefully he opened it, revealing a bottle of very old Spanish wine and two glasses. "What a treasure!" he thought.
Just then he noticed someone coming down the beach and almost panicked. He was surprised at himself, realizing that he didn't want to share his discovery with the approaching stranger. Hurriedly he closed the lid, just as the stranger, (whose face seemed somehow familiar) reached him.
"It's all right," the stranger said. "You will never be forced to share; sharing is your choice. But there is plenty for everyone." And with that statement the stranger motioned beyond the pastor. Turning to see what the stranger meant, the pastor saw that the entire expanse of sand behind him was covered with bottles of the same wine and wine glasses, as far as the eye could see. "There's enough for everyone," the familiar stranger repeated. And, face to face with his Lord, the pastor wept.
-- Fannin
His parishioners would find that surprising, he knew. But he was no different than they. He too had doubts; he too struggled at times with self-esteem, prayer, laziness, loneliness, greed, selfishness. Like them, he was a vulnerable human being, and contrary to what some of them thought, he did not have all the answers to life.
As his shovel bit into sand for a fourth time, there was more resistance. Something was buried. Letting go of his thoughts, he began to pay attention to digging and soon had uncovered a small black chest. Carefully he opened it, revealing a bottle of very old Spanish wine and two glasses. "What a treasure!" he thought.
Just then he noticed someone coming down the beach and almost panicked. He was surprised at himself, realizing that he didn't want to share his discovery with the approaching stranger. Hurriedly he closed the lid, just as the stranger, (whose face seemed somehow familiar) reached him.
"It's all right," the stranger said. "You will never be forced to share; sharing is your choice. But there is plenty for everyone." And with that statement the stranger motioned beyond the pastor. Turning to see what the stranger meant, the pastor saw that the entire expanse of sand behind him was covered with bottles of the same wine and wine glasses, as far as the eye could see. "There's enough for everyone," the familiar stranger repeated. And, face to face with his Lord, the pastor wept.
-- Fannin
