God Kissed

Do you remember the Hobbits in the movie (and book) 'Lord of the Rings'? They talked about first breakfast, second breakfast, first lunch, second lunch and so on. In our house we now refer to my sleeping habits in similar terms. I have first sleep--the sleep I have until I wake after 2-3 hours; then comes second sleep, which is interrupted early morning by the girl bringing the anesthesia charts for the day. If I'm lucky I get third sleep after that. (No third sleep, no happy.)

So--one night, in between sleeps, I got to thinking about something I had read about that ordinary woman with the extraordinary voice (a couple of posts ago). The author referred to her as "God-Kissed"--meaning, of course, her gift.

Here's what she wrote:

We each have within us something of much greater value than perfect bodies and unlined skin: the divine spark, the God-kiss, that lives in each and every one of us - no exceptions. We are fascinated with Susan Boyle, because she reveals to us the world of possibilities we too often leave unexplored, within ourselves. We dare to think…has God kissed me, too?

So I wondered, why did we look at that woman and think, that's not the way it's supposed to go. Ordinary people who look ordinary and live ordinary lives are not supposed to be great. And it hits us, whoa --what if there is greatness in me--in all of us?

That's an almost subversive thought in a world where superficial beauty is so admired. There might be greatness in each of us that goes unappreciated and undiscovered, because, what is great in us is not valued by the people who define such things.

Wait, stick with me here. I think about our family and friends--my own children. Earlier, I mentioned Gammy's lovely voice. But, I think she must have been showered with "God-kisses" because she had so many other gifts. And what about the ones who will help whenever asked, the creative ones, the get 'er done, dynamic ones. Those steady folks who get up every morning and just do whatever is required of them. Think about Charlie in his poor twisted body. Just his being here is a sort of greatness. They'll never be famous, and wouldn't care to be. These are the great ones who will never be known outside their family and friends.

Here's what I finally concluded.
The way we came to see this ordinary woman must be the way Heavenly Father sees us: worthwhile, special, talented, unique--beautiful. He sees the real person, and understands the value of each individual’s gifts: rich or poor, young or old, ill or well, lucky or unlucky in life. He knows us. And loves us…Everybody is somebody!

Ha! Now maybe I can get some sleep-