Out of Place

 

Well, here is something you don’t see every day. As I walked along I came upon a radiator. It was leaning against a Crepe Myrtle tree, the car from which it came nowhere in sight. It seemed so out of place. If there had been a car in the driveway, hood up, tools scattered about, I might not have noticed it at all. If the driveway and sidewalk was wet with leaking water and coolant, it would have made perfect sense to see this detached piece of a car. But here it stood, all alone.

Some people seem out of place. In divisive times, they are peacemakers. In frightening times, they are brave. In overwhelming times, they bring hope. In dark times, they bring light. In hate-filled times, they bring love.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews discussed such “out of place” people. After naming the famous ones who lived in such a way, they move to the unnamed. After describing their exploits and sufferings, we read these words, “They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

People of whom “the world was not worthy”. I have been blessed to meet and know such people. They stand out in my mind and heart like the radiator against the tree. They were faithful and true to both God and themselves. They made a difference in my life. They made a difference in the world. For these I am grateful.

Peace.