Of Eggs and Tennis Balls

Our pastor talked about gentleness last Sunday, and used eggs and tennis balls to illustrate his points. That got me to thinking more about the truth that ... people are like eggs.

Tennis balls bounce. They can be thrown against walls, hit with rackets, stuffed inside small spaces... and maintain their shape and purpose.

Eggs don't. An egg might look hard on the outside, but it's ooey, gooey soft on the inside, and if it's dropped, it splats. It's meant to be treated gently. Even the one that is hardboiled cracks when dropped. It just might not look damaged unless we look closely.

Sometimes I forget that other people are like eggs. Do I treat my husband, my kids, my friends, my neighbours, the person across the counter, the person on that blog, that homeless person pushing a grocery cart -- gently... as if they are breakable?

We are all unique and irreplaceable. We are all holy, loved, and chosen by God. We all need to be handled with care.