“Jesus was able to love because he loved right through the layer of mud.”
“Tell me how much you know of the sufferings of your fellow man and I will tell you how much you have loved them.”
Helmut Thielicke was a German Theologian, pastor, and author. He saw the atrocities of Nazi Germany first hand. Perhaps it was out of that context that he penned the above quotes. Some people deal with suffering by sticking their heads in the sand, hoping it will go away. Others confront it head-on. Still others are so moved with compassion that they have to do something. What a beautiful picture of love. Loving right through the layers of mud. People rarely see the “real you.” We tend to carry lots of mud that conceals our “true self.” Mud obscures and gets attached to us through pain, suffering, and discomfort. The more suffering, the more mud. The reality is that most people never see past the mud.
David Needham once made the statement that people are God’s divine, priceless masterpieces. A work of art is considered priceless when no amount of money can replace it. He goes on to say that when an art gallery moves the location of the display, the piece of art or sculpture is carefully crated with copious amounts of packing material around it for protection. If you were to watch the process of unpacking, you would witness the priceless piece of art in various states: still in the crate, out of the crate but with Styrofoam packing material still clinging to it, and finally, all cleaned up and ready to display. But the point is clear. The value of the art is still priceless, whether still in the crate or ready for display. God’s divine masterpieces are like that. Some are still in the crate, some are covered with packing material, and some are cleaned up for display. All have priceless value. So, be careful how you treat God’s masterpiece.