Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some
sixty, some thirty.
(Matthew 13.8
NRSV)
Senator Barbara Jordan was such a person. Jordan had a trail blazing career as the first woman and the only black person so far to represent the state of Texas in the U.S. Senate. When she first entered politics, she had to overcome all sorts of outmoded attitudes, but her fairness and her commitment to justice won her respect from both political parties.
Senator Jordan may have never known how her example inspired others. A little black girl used to pass Barbara Jordan's childhood home each day and think to herself, "Barbara Jordan grew up here, too." The thought inspired her. And that little black girl grew up to be Ruth Simmons, the president of Smith College.
We need people to inspire us.
Herschel Hobbs tells about a judge who lived on a ranch near Dallas, TX. When the judge died, his funeral was held at the ranch. There were so many flowers that two trucks were needed to transfer them to the cemetery. As the flowers were being put on the trucks a friend turned to an old man who had worked on the ranch for many years and said to him, "The Judge certainly received a lot of flowers, didn't he?"
The man replied, "Yes, sir. But you know the Judge has been planting the seeds for these flowers a long time."
How are we doing in planting seeds for God's kingdom?
God of peace, help me to sow many, many seeds of love, so that your kingdom will grow. Amen.
