Scotch Tape and Love

Scotch Tape and Love

On the wall above my computer, there are one hundred and sixty seven snapshots of people whose life travels have intersected with mine in some way or another.  There are pictures of old pets from my childhood, pictures of friend’s kids with whom I am no longer in contact, and multiple pictures taken of my family across the years.  In short, this wall has slowly become a patchwork quilt of memories sewn together with scotch tape and love. 

There is the picture of me at the Candy Striper awards ceremony some thirteen years ago.  There is a picture of Harrison, one of the kids that I babysat during high school. There are photographs of me with Point of Grace, me with my best friend, Britney at the beach, even a print copy of my legendary Grandfather and his old mule.  And I realize that these snapshots are not merely ink and paper but rather, momentary evidence of lives well lived.

And sometimes, when I am at my desk trying to find inspiration to write, to keep walking, to do it afraid, to take one more step- all I have to do it look up from my pen and legal pad and know that I have one hundred and sixty seven people cheering me on.  And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if I cannot do it for myself, I have to do it for all those faces staring back at me from their two dimensional perspective. 

And suddenly, I wonder if Jesus had some of these same feelings.  What if- during the whole process of his trial, his beatings, his crucifixion- what if he, too wanted to give in and give up? I mean after all, his closest friends were betraying him and denying him and falling asleep during the most intense night of his life.  I think, while he was being whipped with a cat of nine tails, while the crown of thorns was digging into his skin, while the nails were driven through his wrists, one thud at a time- well, I’ve always had the vision that when the pain was at its worst, when tears and sweat and the knowledge that he was truly alone really hit home, I think he looked up at his wall of scotch tape and love, carefully selected his favorite snapshot of me and said, “I’m doing this for you.”

            

                      I think that is the definition of true friendship. 

  

“Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

                                                                                     John 15:13