Several weeks ago, I found myself sitting next to our 6-year-old daughter Harriet during a lunch for Church of Our Saviour’s Jubilee Housing ministry. I had not actually intended to bring Harriet to lunch that morning. My wife and I were double booked that day and the easiest solution had been for me to take one daughter while Annie took the other two.
As the residents, their families, and loved ones finished their meal, a few individuals stood to share about Jubilee Housing. They spoke of recovery from addictions, the need for support, and the hope received in community. I winced when I heard them use colorful language for humor. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched my 6-year-old daughter with great interest, curious as to what she would think about the presentation. I also worried about what her mother would think that afternoon when she heard Harriet’s report.
As Harriet and I walked back to our car, she turned to me with bright eyes and said, “Dad, did you hear the stories from those men? They were RE-BORN! They were sick, and now they are RE-BORN because people loved them.”
I do not know about you, but there are several examples in my life where I was reborn because people loved me when I was my most unlovable. There are all sorts of reasons that we need to be reborn. However, too often we forget to honor those experiences and neglect to carry them along our collective journey. Have you been reborn in your life? What would it look like for you to be reborn? How can you honor being reborn?