Unlikely Sanctuary

Rachael's paper route has become a quality time of communing with God for me. I stay close to her, but I'm in the van with my Bible and notebook. Today I sat on the side of a busy street as she delivered papers to the houses. It was a noisy, unlikely, but effective place to read my Bible. Being alone and able to concentrate made it a little oasis for me. Since the kids have been home for Christmas break, "quiet time" has been hard to come by. So beside the busy street, I revelled in my time.

Sitting there thinking about my "oasis," I remembered a story my pastor in Calgary told. A Chinese man was imprisoned for his faith. Furious that his spirit and will weren't being broken, the guards gave him cesspool duty. He had to clean the community's human waste which collected into a small pond every day. This was, without question, the worst of the prison jobs.

The Christian gentleman was quick to find beauty in the situation. In the solitude of his work -- the cesspool was far removed from the guards or others -- he lifted his voice to sing praises. He sang, "I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses..." Where else could one imprisoned for his faith sing openly? For him, the cesspool became his sanctuary, his place of open worship. The cesspool was his garden, his oasis, his place to openly commune with God.

This story encouraged me 10 years ago and continues to now as I recall it. Any place where one can focus on God can be a garden paradise, be it a busy street or, God forbid, a cesspool of human waste.

Romans 11:33 "How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his method." Only God can turn a cesspool into a longed for garden.