Several times a week the neighbor kids come over to our house to color. (They would be there all day, every day if we let them) We have pictures of everything from cartoon characters to animals to fruits for them to color. A few days ago, some kids were over coloring fruits. One girl, finished with coloring her orange, carefully labeled it “Apple by Dewi” Another kid noticed her mistake right away and started laughing.

But within a minute, I noticed her little friend next to her who just finished coloring an apple label it “Orange by Sukilah” She had made no mistake. She did it to make the rest of the kids think she and Dewi had planned it, to save her friend some embarrassment. I told her how great her picture was as she looked up at me with a slightly mischievous smile that shone through her whole face...she knew I knew. Some of the other kids giggled at her as well but in her small sacrifice, her willingness to look the fool, she showed great love for her friend. Sulikah let me keep her drawing that day and we have it in the kitchen hung up as a reminder of the kind of love that will look the fool to spare a friend.

And it makes me wonder how often am I willing to look foolish to show love, either for my Father or for his children. How often am I willing to let go of my “right” to respect to be compassionate the way I see exemplified in the Rabbi...eating and associating with people on the “undesirable” list. In doing so he lost the respect of many religious folks. I am learning to give more freely of my time in “divine interruptions” and to hold my belongings more loosely, but what of my reputation? Am I willing to go that far to show love? Am I willing to be misunderstood? Am I willing to have people laugh or reject me? Because people laughed and rejected Jesus so it would be silly for me to expect otherwise. And I see the picture of the apple/orange and think maybe it starts with small things. “Small acts with great love” as Mother Theresa said. And I am amazed at the way God uses to little things to teach me, to grow me, to encourage me.