I had dealt with anti-American views before but I hadn't heard of anyone getting in a fight over staying in the same room, so I asked why he was so anti-American. She said that he was American, but was afraid of other Americans and once again exclaimed that he was CRAZY. So we came up with a plan to tell him that we were Canadian.
Over the course of my week there I discovered that this man was not CRAZY but was suffering from paranoid-schizophrenia. He was convinced that Americans were spying on him and clearly had felt abused by the American Government. The man was tormented both day and night by hallucinations and night terrors which is undoubtedly why he was so afraid and so CRAZY seeming to other people at the hostel.
I also found out that he was incredibly friendly to his Canadian roommate (me) and asked many questions about my homeland (which I had to laugh at, but never revealed my secret). Beyond his extreme politeness and friendly chitchat I also found out that he was a brilliant musician, possibly world class. Along with 5 identical American Passports he brought instruments where ever he traveled and practiced at all hours to the delight of those of us who hadn't written him off.
This was the sad part... I realized after a week of being there that everyone in the place was completely unaware of this man's talents, his gifts, his wonderful presence... they were all so scared of the CRAZY man.
A few months later I wrote a poem called "They Call Him Crazy" about this man.
the last stanza is as follows:
They call him Crazy
He looks on while faces turn to mock, mitigating another mountain.
Those fortresses built high to barricade, from the impending raid.
We're locked out from his artistic bouts, on mute to his glorious flute.
And when we joke about his unsure future, past and present,
we miss the God-sent presents that he has, and we haven't.
but they call HIM CRAZY.
He looks on while faces turn to mock, mitigating another mountain.
Those fortresses built high to barricade, from the impending raid.
We're locked out from his artistic bouts, on mute to his glorious flute.
And when we joke about his unsure future, past and present,
we miss the God-sent presents that he has, and we haven't.
but they call HIM CRAZY.
Its crazy to miss out on the opportunity to see God's gifts, or God in another person.
Part of the reason I love Spirit of Truth is because we practice as many ways as we can come up with to enjoy and celebrate God's gifts in each other. We look for the truth in each other. Beyond the personal we look to change our community so that we can recognize the good in all people and so that none are excluded or oppressed. We seek Justice for all people so that all God's gifts are present. To do anything less seems crazy to me.
A week or so ago at a worship gathering Pete read the following from 1st Corinthians:
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.
A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
In the comments section below I implore you to share
What is your spiritual gift and how will you use it? As a society I fear we are missing the gifts of millions...
What will we do about it?
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