Cranes

We went to a seeding event today for The Grove . One of the exercises was to take origami paper and to fold a crane. That's mine to the left.

As I looked at my not-so-perfect crane, I decided that there are some similarities between the crane and us.

• It is, of course, not perfect. Neither am I.
• It was a little bit crooked, out of balance. The edges don't quite meet up. Like mine.
• It was formed by forces which are flawed, and those flaws are transmitted into the creation.
• The creases are folded tightly in -- just like the creases in my life. Unfold my life, and the scars of the creases will still show.
• According to the story today, it takes 1000 cranes to create a miracle. We will find unexpected miracles in community. We can accomplish things we never expected when we are in Christian community.
• As you fold up a piece of paper into a crane, there are times (most of the time, for me) when I couldn't have predicted what the final product would be. We can't always see the end or the purpose in what we are doing when we are in the middle of the work, even if it is work to which we have been called.
• This crane has my own words of peace written inside. Peace often arrives when we realize that peace is not external, but comes from the spirit of God inside of us.