Sunday Inspiration: Where the Spirit Meets the Bone
This was part of a prayer in a worship service this morning at Chautauqua Institution. I wanted to share it with you since, if you’re like me, you may find it easy to dismiss unpleasant people as simply unpleasant and therefore not worth our time or concern.
In the words of American poet Stanley Miller Williams:
“Have compassion for everyone you meet, even if they don’t want it. What seems conceit, bad manners, or cynicism is always a sign of things no ears have heard, no eyes have seen. You do not know what wars are going on down there, where the spirit meets the bone.”
Where the spirit meets the bone. What a wonderful image.
Thank you, Emilie. That says it all. This past year the board I serve on has been put through a very unpleasant trauma due to one person. We will have to search deep to find compassion, but I will try and I will share this with the other 6 who have suffered along with me.
Joan, I’m sorry you’ve had such a hard time. I hope the situation improves and you feel better about things as time goes on.
This is awesome! My mom always used to say, “If you’re confronted by a difficult person, smile and be nice for you don’t know what is really going on with them and your smile can be just what they need to turn them around.”