Unicorn and Donkey - February 1
Daily Readings: AM Psalm 56, 57, [58]; PM Psalm 64, 65; Isa. 51:17-23; Gal. 4:1-11; Mark 7:24-37
With a seven-year-old girl in the house, it might not surprise you that we have all things unicorn filling our home. Unicorn balloons, stuffed animals (from ones that will fit in the palm of your hand to a unicorn as large as me), lights, stickers, sheets, and books. One book is about a unicorn and a donkey. The unicorn is comfortably enjoying her fancy bubble bath while the dirty and mud-soaked donkey comes across his unicorn friend in an exceptionally inviting bathtub.
In the story, the unicorn is appalled that the donkey would want to disrupt her clean bubble bath. After much pestering and prodding, the donkey convinces the unicorn to share and jumps in the bathtub only to ruin the bubbles and clean water, creating a haven for mud and grime. While the donkey is now clean, the unicorn has become covered with mud much to her dismay. Two new unicorns come strutting by wanting to take a bath, and the muddy unicorn sadly lets them know that the water is no longer clean, and they will be regrettably disappointed. To her surprise, the new unicorns were interested in what they have just witnessed: the unicorn and her mudbath and they approach the mudbath with great glee and joy.
It’s easy to get stuck in our ways, to think that the way that we have always done things is not only the best, but the right way too. Unicorn and donkey is about the joy that comes from trying something different.
In today’s Gospel, we hear a story of healing. A man is both deaf and has a speech impediment. The crowds bring the man to Jesus for healing and Jesus takes him away from the group of people. He spits on the man’s tongue and places his fingers in the man’s ears. I am most interested in the words that Jesus offers when he looks up to the heavens and says in Aramaic, “be opened.” Of course, it could be as simple as asking for the man’s ears to be opened, but on a much deeper level, to even allow for healing and transformation of any kind to take place, we have to be open. Jesus’ words to open the deaf man’s ears, speak a deeper truth. He had to be open for change and healing to take place.
The same truth applies to each of us. To experience God’s gift of healing and wholeness, we have to be open to it. Who knows what that means, but I bet we will be surprised. Maybe we won’t be so worried about what was or what could be but open to what is before us. To be open is a willingness for things to be different than we expect. Mud instead of bubbles. May we be willing to approach something new with great glee and joy.
John+
Questions for Self-Reflection: Do you consider yourself to be an open person? What about open-minded? What experiences have led you to be this way?
Daily Challenge: We are often conditioned to say no before we say yes. Say yes to one invitation over the next week that you normally would refuse.