I'm still reading Manning's "Ragamuffin Gospel", and God is using it and His Word to speak to me daily.
I just finished a chapter called, "Grazie, Signore", which means "Thank you, Lord". He begins with a touching story of a young woman who has had to undergo facial surgery to remove a tumor from her cheek. Her mouth is now slightly twisted, due to a tiny nerve that had to be severed to remove the tumor. As the doctor sadly explains the permanence of this side-effect to her, the husband stands by her side, gently stroking her hair & face. The doctor steps back, and watches in humble awe as the young man bends over his love, and whispers, "I like it. Its kind of cute." He then twists his own lips slightly to conform to hers, to show her that their kiss still works.
That story grips my heart for some reason. It almost moves me to tears every time I read it. That kind of love & compassion is truly beautiful, humbling, and of God. In fact, it is a picture of the love of God for us, displayed in Jesus Christ.
"He who knew no sin became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." 2 Corinthians 5:21
Manning concludes the chapter with a heart-felt prayer of praise, which I desire daily to make my own-
"Grazie Signore, for your lips twisted in love to accomodate my sinful self, for judging me not by my shabby good deeds but by your love that is your gift to me, for your unbearable forgiveness and infinite patience with me, for other people who have greater gifts than mine, and for the honesty to acknowledge that I am a ragamuffin. When the final curtain falls and you summon me home, may my last whispered word on earth be the wholehearted cry, 'Grazie Signore.'"
Rob