Susan LaffertyWe never see her name. But know her reputation.
“A wise woman….”
And she stops the destruction of her city.
As troops are battering the wall to take it down, she asks to speak with their leader. Joab. And appeals to him with humility.
“Listen to the words of your servant” (2 Samuel 20:17).
Seasoned servant. Leaving, after spending many years in the dark city by the river. Her parting advice to one of our colleagues is borne out of long experience in the spiritual battle.
Those insightful words reach my ears at a retreat in the Himalayas.
One phrase sticks in my heart. And comes to mind, from time to time.
“Do you want to seem holy? Or be holy?”
Jars filled with water. Outwardly common. Inwardly plain.
Others know what we’re made of. See the flaws. Rough edges. They remember the ordinary ways we walk and talk.
But we surrender. To the One who receives this offering.
Such as it is.
