We all know how easy it is to use our spiritual needs as an excuse. You know – when you find way to get out of something you don’t want to do by invoking your belief system.
- “Oh, I couldn’t possibly clean the litter box today, it’s the Sabbath…”
- “I’d love to sign up for an over-time shift…but the love of money is the root of all evil. So, I’m going to a movie…”
- “I can’t eat broccoli. Cain was a farmer, and Abel raised animals. God took Abel’s offering and not Cain’s. Pass the bacon, please…”
The shady spot I stopped by had an old tree, its trunk struck by lightning some time ago, that was partially in the water. I looked at the water-cured top of the tree for some time, admiring the shape and curve of the weathered branches. Thinking about the tree, I said to myself “Life is so fragile. Poor tree, too bad it’s dead. Brokenness can kill you.” A breeze blew and my kayak started to turn. Paddling back to my resting spot I looked again and realized that the top of the tree in the water had been dead for some time – but there were living branches all over the bottom. That tree has been there in the water over a year (I remember seeing the split trunk last summer) and still life is thriving. My thought changed from “Brokenness can kill you” to “Wow. Life is strong! You can live through anything! Brokenness is not an end.”
Uplifted, I laughed with God about the opportunity to work on my soul. I realized I didn’t get that chance because I was too lazy to paddle across the lake. I got it because I got a chance to “look again”.
Today’s story is a famous one from the prophet Ezekiel. The dry bones that come to life is something preachers like to talk about and children love to sing about. (♫ Dem bones, dem bones, dem dry bones….♫). But today, in the spirit of the breeze that turns us all around sometimes, I want us to look at it from a different angle. Instead of singing the song, or looking at the bones, - lets take another look at Ezekiel – who needs a lesson in taking another look.
What you can’t see
Ezekiel is receiving all manner of lessons from God. By the time he gets to the valley of bones – he’s pretty worn out. You know those trainings where you look at power point slides for hours? That’s kinda what Ezekiel had been through. Learning symbol after symbol to try to teach Israel about God’s expectations and love, the prophet arrives at the valley of bones for another lesson. He’s tired, he’s overwhelmed and he’s been listening to God for a very long time. So when he looks out at the valley of some army slaughtered long ago, he’s not the most participative student.
When asked if he thinks the bones could live, he passes the question back to God saying, “Only you know…”. That’s one of those fail-safe answers – like when you were a kid taking “True and False” tests and you tried to make your T with a second prong so it could pass as an F if it needed to. Ezekiel is too tired to reason. He’s too tired to speak. He’s too tired to see. What can’t he see? He can’t see the possibility of the living army.
Fortunately the breath of God is going to turn him around like the breeze did me.
Looking at the bones, he has no idea if they can possibly come to life. They are dry – old & weathered. Those bones have been dead a long time. He doesn’t see them as an army. He doesn’t even see them as soldiers- slain in some ancient battle (with a very “Lord of the Rings” like overtone, I’m sure…). He doesn’t see them as the building blocks of life. He just sees bones. But he’s wrong. He’s not looking at a valley of bones. He’s looking at an army of people. He just doesn’t know it.
Too often when we find ourselves in a time of despair we can see only the bones scattered around us. We see the old bones of lost friends, broken promises, forsaken marriages, disconnected church families, and the dreams that never were. God asks us, “Can these things yet live?” But we are tired. We get overwhelmed. We look at our feet, shrug and reply, “Only you know, Lord.”
So, God asks us to look again. In some of those bones there are relationships that can be repaired, although they will be changed for the experience of having died and been brought back anew. In some of those bones are lessons. We can carry the authority of human experience for all we learned through the trauma and loss, and create in our heart a thriving compassion. We can look over our situation and find in that valley the building block of positive action, transformation, and inspiration. Can those bones live again? You bet. They are living now. We just need to see it.
Ezekiel still can’t see the army even after the miraculous connecting (“the shin bone connected to the leg bone…”). So…the breath of God fills the army and Ezekiel gets too look again, again. Finally God explains the meaning to Israel for this stunning display of regeneration. God the grave opener is going to bring them back. Hallelujah! But God put that part last. Why? Because God was waiting for Ezekiel to see.
If you are slipping into the valley of sorrow – whether it be through a current event in your life, the gulf coast oil disaster (I REFUSE to call that a “spill”), the frightening future, or the ghosts of heartaches past – turn around, and look again. There is something you need to see.
Life is fragile, and life is strong.
Brokenness can kill you, but brokenness is not an end.
The bones CAN live. So can your heart. So can the gulf coast.
So can you.
Look again.
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