THE CUP OVERFLOWING FROM THE HEART - August 17, 2008
Matthew 15:10-28; Romans 12:1-8
"How Old Is Old?" from Open Sesame, by Sr. M. Gremma Brunke
An elephant outlives a monkey,
A turtle, longer than man,
A housefly will last but a summer,
A tree has a long life span.
A camel has humps when a baby,
A deer slows down when fifteen,
Either years is life's span for a squirrel,
One older is seldom seen.
You are young, my friend, not old but young
If you find deep in your heart
Beautiful thoughts of deeds to be done
Or some kind words to impart.
In the scripture today, Jesus is pointing us to be "The Cup Overflowing from the Heart" with kind words, beautiful thoughts, and good deeds.
Just to be sure we all know what we're talking about when we talk about the heart, Henri Nouwen tells us in a book called The Way of the Heart that the Biblical understanding of the heart is not a soft word, or a sentimental word, or a romantic word. It is not "the warm place where the emotions are located in contrast to the cool intellect where our thoughts find their home. . . .the word heart in the Jewish-Christian tradition refers to the source of all physical, emotional, intellectual, volitional, and moral energies." (p. 77) "Heart" includes our emotions, but is much, much more.
Judy Zerafa, a woman who now lives in Colorado, had a "near-death" experience, and survived, but only to become a single parent with health, financial and marital issues. Eight years after her near-death experience, she writes: ". . .my dreams for a good life vanished. One April evening, when I was at the depth of despair, I went for a walk with our dogs. I sat on a hill, still patchy with spring snow, and cried until I doubled over in defeat. Not believing I deserved a life of problems and unhappiness, I was angry with God. In desperation, I said, 'God, take my life and do whatever you want with it. I'm done.' It was dark when I walked home. As I looked up at the star-filled sky, I felt lighter somehow."
Judy had already written a guide for children, and shortly after that star-filled night received a request from a parent to expand the guide into a booklet for kids. The guide became a booklet for older children and teens called How to Become Popular, and out of that experience Judy appeared on talk shows. But Judy was not satisfied, and wanted to find out more about real success. Through her connection with people from the talk shows, she was able to interview thirty-five people who had received the Horatio Alger Award for people who had succeeded magnificently in life, despite adversity, through their honesty, hard work, self-reliance, and perseverance. Out of those interviews, she developed The Seven Keys to Success.
Judy also says that the most startling revelation was that out of those thirty-five men and women, thirty of those men and women knew only three of the keys to success. Two of the thirty-five knew four keys; two more knew five. Only one knew all seven: Oprah Winfrey.
Judy says that as she sat in her living room staring down at what she'd just discovered, she knew that her purpose in life was to give people the tools to live better, easier lives. She developed a program for teachers, students and corporate audiences on how to succeed. And out of that experience she says:
"Years ago when I moved toward the light [in my near-death experience], I believed I was moving toward heaven. What I know now is that heaven doesn't just exist only on the other side. It's here too! Heaven is here on earth when we stay connected to God in daily prayer; when we turn our lives over and ask God to guide us to our purpose and then follow where this guidance leads. Indeed this is heaven."
Judy's "Seven Keys to Success"
1. Develop and Maintain a Positive Attitude
2. Believe in Yourself
3. Make Wise Choices
4. Develop Positive Habits
5. Set and Achieve Goals
6. Use Creative Imagination
7. Be Persistent
Would you say that the woman from Canaan who came to Jesus was successful? Did she have the seven qualities Judy found in successful people?
She had a positive attitude -- she believed Jesus could help her and her daughter, which gave her the courage to act.
She believed in herself, that she could approach Jesus -- she even shouted her need.
She made wise choices -- she came to the right person, to Jesus.
She had positive habits, or at least it seems so from the fact that once she had gotten Jesus' attention by shouting, she came and knelt in front of him.
She set and achieved her goals -- to get help for her daughter.
She used her creative imagination. When Jesus said "no" to her, she must have made him laugh when she answered "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table." It was an unexpected, humorous response that moved Jesus to compassion.
She was persistent -- she didn't give up.
Yes, that day, when the Canaanite woman came to Jesus, she was successful, and she was the cup overflowing from the heart.
Jesus was also the cup overflowing from the heart -- his heart was overflowing with mercy and compassion as he spoke words of wisdom and life: "Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish."
The Canaanite woman's heart was overflowing with the courage to come to Jesus -- to act on her deepest need. And then, when she was near Jesus, her heart overflowed with creative imagination and words that brought healing and life to her daughter, and to herself.
May we all have the courage to come and kneel before Jesus this morning, receive of His compassion and kindness, and be the cup overflowing from the heart.
