I shared my favorite character monologue with the women who attended the Oregon Pacific District Women's event last Saturday. I still remember the first time I was introduced to Sara Mae at the Lillenas Drama Conference.. Author Gail Blanton created Sara Mae as a blast from the past with lessons for today. She comes from a time period where simple meant hard work. She says in a sentence what many of us take a lifetime to learn. Here are the statements that convict me every time I share her story.
"My ma said that jest about every place could be holy ground."--Sarah Mae
What would happen if we expected to find holy ground anywhere--while doing laundry, cleaning house, grocery shopping, driving in heavy traffic, working for an unreasonable manager? Do we realize that any place or thing God takes over is holy? Shouldn't we live with more expectation wondering where our next burning bush might surprise us?.
"Love don't stop givin' jest cause it loses somethin'."--Sarah Mae
Hurt in any form closes us down, pinches our spirit, and can even take over our life so that we have more room to nurse our pain. Then, we become secret hoarders, collecting reasons for why life has given us a bum wrap, blaming parents, a rigid church, a God who doesn't understand, anyone or anythig but our own choices. We stop being an open place to receive love from God or anyone else and we stop giving it as well.
Sarah Mae came home after a rebellious detour and found only love from her mother. Her mother did not allow losses in her life to render her incapable of giving love. It was prodigal love, the extravagant, unexpected, undeserved kind. It's what God calls grace. And he gives it to us no matter how many times we ignore or wrong him. If we allow God to fill us with his kind of love, don't you think we could give it more to those around us who expect to receive anything but love?
Thank you, Sarah Mae. You remind me of truth I need to live.