There is a lilac bush in Lancaster, Massachusetts that doesn’t appear to belong to anyone. There is a bank on one side and a donut shop on the other with an uncared for strip of land in between. In the midst of the seemingly neglected land is a lush spot of beauty and fragrance. I wonder how many of the thousands of people who pass by notice its contribution.
I know some beautiful people who are very much like that lilac bush. They bloom. They add fragrance to their space. Yet I think most people just pass them by without noticing their contribution. They rarely, if ever, get any accolades. They live quiet lives watching others get the awards and the praise. They must wonder what they would have to do to be noticed or maybe they enjoy the quiet life and would be embarrassed if the spotlight suddenly shone on them.
If you are one of those quiet beautiful persons allow me to say, “Thank you for making the world a better place.” There is an interesting line in a Gilbert and Sullivan musical that goes like this. “When everyone is somebody, then no-one’s anybody.” So I guess the somebody’s need the no-one’s so the somebody’s can be somebody. But let’s never forget those people getting the awards couldn’t get them without the beautiful support people that actually make life work.
The writer of Psalm 84 talks about being a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. It leaves one with the concept of someone being so happy to be in God’s house they don’t care if they are hidden on the back row. I don’t think that can happen. I think God notices, loves and smells every lilac bush no matter where it is.
Written by Roger Bothwell on May 11, 2011
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org