Kicking the acorns

Today’s Reading: John 10:31-32 (NIV)

31 Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32 but Jesus said to them: “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

Good morning!

I spent many a warm Sunday evening watching our church elders outside, kicking acorns underneath the magnificent Texas oak trees. When Jeff attended seminary, he was given a student appointment at a pretty little country church about forty miles east of Dallas, Texas. We lived in their beautiful parsonage, just down the road from the church. Once a month, the administrative board would meet to conduct its business, and sometimes the conversations would get a little heated. Someone would suggest a new idea, or someone had a bee in their bonnet about something that was making them very unhappy. After a spirited discussion, the men would step outside with a glass of lime tea in one hand and kick the acorns along the sidewalk between the educational building and the church sanctuary. The women stayed inside where the temperature was definitely cooler. They quickly found other things to talk about, like their kids and grandchildren, and upcoming community events. I often stood by the window and watched the men. They would stand outside together, shuffling the nuts that had fallen from the trees lining the sidewalk with their boots.

It’s amazing what a little acorn kicking can do. We see or hear something that we don’t understand or agree with. It distresses us and we immediately react. We ask the questions and when they are not answered to our satisfaction, we begin to kick it around with our neighbors and friends. Watching the boys kick the acorns around outside our church made a lasting visual impression in my mind. I don’t know what they said to each other. Their looks of disgust and frustration spoke volumes about what they may have been thinking. Sometimes they lingered a little bit longer than we would have liked. One by one, they would wander back into the fellowship hall, where they would take their places at the table and the meeting would begin again. In many instances, taking time to think it through made all the difference in whether a unified decision could be reached.

The people were angry with Jesus. They decided it was high time to pummel this teacher for blasphemy. When Jesus asked them which miracle He was being stoned for, it made the people stop and think. Our initial reactions are not always right. Sometimes we need to take a step back and think it through. A little acorn kicking may be in order. If you are struggling with some disconcerting issue today, I’d invite you to step outside the box, take a moment, and let God speak to your heart. We may miss the miracle if we don’t take time to kick the acorns.

Grace and peace,

Deb Spaulding

Faith UMC - St. Charles, MO

www.songofdeborah.com

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