A Lesson on Meditation

This past weekend, Mathew and I went to Harbin to hold a couple of English Corners. This was the first in weekly trips that our team will take to help establish some ground up north. For the first few weeks, our topics are focusing on character traits, and we are using parables as a means to teach these traits. We started with the parable of the Forgiving Father/Lost Son, from Luke 15, focusing on forgiveness.

As we talked with the students about the characteristics of each individual in the story, their thoughts were intriguing, thought-provoking, unique; sometimes things that I doubt would have ever entered into my Western mind: that the father was not a good father, because both of his sons made wrong choices (one to squander his wealth, the other to spurn his brother's return); that the younger son was actually wise in learning the ways of the world. As I sat there, I thanked G for this unique form of meditation. His Words are not limited to my Western mind, nor to the Jewish mind of that day, nor to any particular region; but His Words 'will accomplish His purpose, and succeed in the thing which He sent them for,' even teaching a proud Westerner.

An English corner with largely unbelieving students, yet it proved to be a lesson in meditation that I likely would never have learned otherwise. Thank you, G.