Here I Am Lord; Your Servant Is Listening!
Kathleen Johnsen
Kathleen "Kathy" Johnsen is an HR Consultant. Her company, Christian Compliance Resources offers training and other HR services to Christian churches and nonprofits. Kathy volunteers on the OOI editorial team. She is married and has two young adult sons and resides in Monterey.
Today I was listening to a Brene Brown podcast with David Kessler, author of several books on grief. He told a story—a parable, about the long spoons. I had not heard this allegory before. However, I was struck by the relevance to our situation these days.
The parable of the long spoons goes something like this:
A man walks into an amazing banquet. In the middle of the room is a large round table with the most wonderful foods a person could desire. It looked and smelled delicious and made the man’s mouth water, but the people sitting around the table were thin and sickly. They appeared to be famished. They were holding spoons with very long handles. It was possible to reach the amazing delights and take a spoonful, but because the spoon handles were longer than their arms, they could not get the spoons back into their mouths.
Behind the second door, the room appeared exactly the same. There was a large round table with large pots of the same delicious food that made the man’s mouth water. The people had the same long-handled spoons, However, in this room, they were well-nourished and plump, laughing and talking.
What was the difference? In this room, people were feeding each other and in doing so, they were thriving. Some have referred to the first room as what hell will be like and the second room as heaven-like.
Kessler’s point of referencing the parable though was not about heaven and hell, but about how we can support each other when all of us are dealing with loss in this present moment. As we grapple with what the pandemic has uniquely taken away from each of us, how can we be there for one another so we can thrive during this time?
For some of us, loss has come in the form of a job or financial loss. For others, we may be dealing with the loss of a loved one or friend. Some of us may be grieving the loss of community, physical touch, a milestone moment (prom, graduation, birth of a baby), or just the knowledge that life will never be quite the same again. We need to recognize that all of us are losing something, all of us are grieving something, and all of us need grace and love right now.
Kessler expressed that instead of comparing losses and judging who has experienced the “bigger” loss, we need to understand that “the worst loss is always your loss.” We need to guard our tendency to discount what others may be feeling. This was a big “aha!” for me. I don’t deal with drama very well, so when one of my kids is doing the “woe is me” because he can’t go out and play soccer with his friends, I want to give him some perspective. But wait! This is a loss for him, and he is feeling this loss as deeply as I may be feeling the loss of work or clients. I need to allow him the space to voice and grieve. I need to come alongside him, pray, and encourage him as he is walking through this.
Do you ever get the sense God is trying to lead you somewhere by dropping breadcrumbs along your path? Well, I’m getting the impression that is exactly what God is doing with me right now. Here is my trail of breadcrumbs:
- Yesterday as I “attended” an online church at Shoreline Church, Pastor Kevin Harney spoke about “How Do You Stand Strong When the World is Crashing Down.” He encouraged us to recognize the gifts God has given us and lean into them. I have been meditating and praying about this; I even created a new screen saver to encourage me to think about this daily.
- I’m reading through the Bible in One Year with Nicky Gumbel (YouVersion). During my Bible reading today (which would have been a couple of days ago if I had been current with my reading), I was reading in Luke (verses 12-27) about the parable of the talents. I have read this section of scripture several times. Today, however, God used this passage of scripture to cause me to pause and consider again what “talents” have I been given. Am I hiding my talents because I’m afraid? Where am I investing?
- And once again, as I listened to the podcast I mentioned above, I was encouraged to use my “long spoon” to feed, not myself, but others. What does this look like and who needs nourishment and encouragement today?
I get it, Lord! Your servant is paying attention. Are you paying attention too? Is God leading you down a path? How are you standing strong? How are you using your talents? Will you starve or thrive with that long spoon? Today more than ever we need Jesus. Today more than ever we need each other. Today more than ever God wants to use us to be His feet, His hands; to bring nourishment and healing.
“Here I am Lord; your servant is listening.”
