“It is because one antelope will blow the dust from the other’s eye that the two antelopes walk together”- African Proverb

This is one of my favorite African proverbs. It is describing the role of community in the life of believers. When we come together as a church community we in essence blow the dust from each other’s eyes by learning to live and love together. We are in this process of becoming the beloved community together.  It is in our questioning, listening and loving that we are challenged and we are ultimately transformed.

I am literally writing this letter with one eye open and one eye shut. As a result of trying to remove a contact lens too quickly, I irritated my eye. It feels like dust is in my eye. I am wearing a patch while the eye heals. The preacher in me is always listening for sermons so when I thought about my eye situation the African proverb quoted above came to mind. If you listen closely you can hear God speaking in even the mundane things of life.   In my recent practice of gratitude, I have become very thankful to be a part of this community here at the First Presbyterian Church of Levittown and how you have helped me to blow dust from my eyes.   As Mother’s Day approaches I also give thanks for the gift of my mother.  I can remember as a child having my mother blow something from my eyes. I am sure many of you can relate to the relief you felt when your mother did that same thing for you.  A mother’s love blows dust from our eyes and refreshes our hearts.  So how do adults blow dust from each other’s eyes?  Surprisingly it comes from using our ears and not our eyes. Continue reading →