| simple moments of grace and dignity |
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| Written by steve sherwood | |||
| Tuesday, 17 July 2007 07:02 | |||
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Posting this blog is going to be futile. I can't recapture this moment, but I also feel compelled to try. One can watch hours of TV and not have a sacred experience (I should know). And then, out of the blue, there one is. I think moments like these,
and trying to make some sense of them is a large part of what rednow is trying to do.
So, the moment? The end of a 'House' episode that my wife and I just watched this evening. One of the side stories was a homeless man dying painfully. A female doctor wanted to sedate him to help him die more gently. The man refused because he was so convinced his life was empty and meaningless that he wanted to die looking suffering straight on to leave at least something. The doctor sits and watches him die. After his death, she does two things that were profoundly beautiful. She straightens his hair with her hand and takes a towel and washes his feet.
I don't know how to describe how powerful this 30 second scene was. There was certainly, watching as a Christian, the mental tie-in to Jesus watching the disciples feet. Additionally, though, there was a sense that, even though he was dead, these acts gave the man dignity and meaning. Human touch. Attentive care. Not obvoiusly significant, and yet utterly profound.
How many lives end without these moments? How many people do I stand in line with at the grocery store who desperately need eye contact, a hello, any recognition that they are noticed and that they matter? I believe God creates each life with unimaginable dignity and worth. One of the tragedies of our broken world is how often people move through their days unaware of this.
If you are interested in seeing this 'House' episode, it is titled 'one day, one room' from Season 3 (2007). You can purchase on iTunes here .
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| Last Updated on Thursday, 19 July 2007 06:21 |
