Recently I’ve been struck by those who have the gift of making others feel good about themselves. What a blessing these people are in the midst of a world that tends toward the cynical and judgmental.
I included one such person in my sermon a few weeks ago. Keith Brymer-Jones is a judge on the reality TV show The Great Pottery Throw Down. Keith’s job is to judge the worst and the best among the pieces that a group of potters create each week. It’s clear though, that Keith’s joy comes not only from the pottery but from the potters themselves. He is frequently moved to tears at their effort, the struggles they’ve faced, and their resilience…even when they don’t win the challenge. “Brilliant!” he says. “Fantastic!” And he and everyone else cries because it’s so rare to hear such affirmation when we haven’t won the top prize. (Here’s a link to the video I showed in worship https://youtu.be/03G38G9Bi0Y )
Another person I’m getting to know through a podcast is Dolly Parton. I’ve never been much of a country music fan, but Dolly is growing on me. In hours of interviews as she talks about personal and work relationships throughout her life, she remains gracious toward even the most difficult people she has lived and worked with. In one memorable episode, she describes the time she needed to break from her singing partner Porter Wagoner. She showed up in his office and began to sing a song she wrote for the occasion: I Will Always Love You. https://youtu.be/x0bEZH6ZqG4
The lyrics include the lines:
If I should stay
Well I would only be in your way
And so I’ll go, and yet I know
I’ll think of you each step of the way
And I will always love you
I will always love you
…
And I hope life, will treat you kind
And I hope that you have all
That you ever dreamed of
Oh I do wish you joy
And I wish you happiness
But above all this
I wish you love
Years later, after Wagoner had successfully sued her for $1 million for breach of contract, Dolly was one of the last people to visit him hours before his death. She held his hand and thanked him for helping her get started in her career. That’s love. That’s grace.
Dolly’s song, I Will Always Love You has been recorded many times since (most notably by Whitney Houson in The Bodyguard). Dolly says that the beauty of the song is that it can be sung any time.
Really, Dolly? Most of us would choose not to sing it any time. Most of our breakups are hard. We carry wounds and bear grudges.
My prayer this week is to become more like Dolly and Keith…to offer grace more than judgment, mercy more than vengeance, and forgiveness more than blame.
In Christ,
Pastor Jen