Monday, December 14, 2009

Tiny Pieces of Broken Glass



"...when it's all said & done, we're all just tiny pieces of broken glass reflecting as best we can the majesty and power of God." ~
The Christmas Prodigal, by Bert Williams

This is a powerfully understated line from a play written by a friend that was presented at church this weekend. The story is about a woman who has experienced the most intense crisis of faith there is: disappointment & disillusionment in her father - her heavenly Father.

She has a sort of "Christmas Carol" visitation. In this scene, the homeless man she snubbed earlier tells her to look up. The heavens don't open with glorious light & choirs of angels. What she sees is a disco ball. I loved that the author stated the obvious rather than try to pass off disco ball effects as something more cosmic :)
 

The homeless man uses it as an object lesson to explain how Christians - imperfect, flawed, mortal - are a reflection of God in this world. As a single bright light shines on the ball, each little mirror reflects it outward in countless directions. The synergetic effect is dazzling. Each reflection is different because each piece of glass is different and imperfect, even though they're reflecting the same light.

The homeless man tells her that no one is perfect and no one gets the reflection exactly right. The woman's anger at God was caused by her father's death. She believed he would be healed and live because he had been a good Christian all his life and she was praying for him, too. But it didn't happen and she is shattered. The homeless man tells her she has a choice: was she going to "look at his life as an example to follow or look at his death as a failure of faith." Choose, he says. Life or death?

Why would he ask her that? Obviously, she was already a Christian, even though she was angry with God. We all get angry with God. Even David vented a few times in the Psalms. But to stay angry, bitter, disappointed, disillusioned, is to choose a living death instead of the joyful, contented life God wants you to have.


What do you choose? The light is shining on you anyway, my fellow piece of broken glass. You might as well choose life and reflect joy. It's so much more fun that way!

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