A Season of Shame

As she came riding into town that day, did she think everyone was looking? Did she travel with people that only looked out the corners of their eyes at her? Did she wear some extra clothes and try to smile extra to ease their uneasiness? Today I spoke with a great friend who helps people to see themselves better this time of year, he called it a season of shame. As I wait for the day that we celebrate the messiah's birth, I have started to look into the eyes around me just to see if I can see a little deeper than normal. It seems more often than I care to believe, the eyes contradict the smile on their face. I believe that the journey I'm on and the one I wait for should make me an open receptor for the shame of others and a welcoming hand in a world of isolation. Father, help me to feel what they feel! "Wisdom is shown to be right by it's results"---the one known as a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of sinners---the one for whom we wait