Mtr Mary Trainor

Momma sewed the rags together
Sewin' every piece with love
She made my coat of many colors
That I was so proud of …*

Dear friend,

There have always been bullies and mean girls.

Granted, they seem more prevalent today, and more extreme, crushing spirits of those who may be gentler, less sure of themselves, those who draw attention for their difference from others.

It’s an all-too-common human trait to be dismissive of, or even downright cruel to, those we believe are less than we are.

***

Today’s Daily Office Gospel includes Nathanael’s well-known dismissal of Jesus, the one so highly touted to him by Philip. Nathanael’s response? “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”

As she sewed, she told a story
From the Bible she had read
About a coat of many colors
Joseph wore  …

Nathanael dismissed Jesus as just someone from a backwater town. But once he interacted with Jesus, Nathanael’s opinion changed. Good thing, or he would have missed the opportunity of his lifetime.

Being judged before anyone knows the true “us” is painful at any age. In childhood we are most vulnerable to being wounded, but the hurt is real at any age.

I hurried off to school
Just to find the others laughing
And making fun of me
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me  …

I am one among others who still grapple with a self-image shaped in childhood. Others had it worse, others better. But this is for certain: I am comforted by knowing there is nothing I have endured that Jesus did not endure first. And he endured things so much worse than I have. With his help, I figure I can somehow get by.

But I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me
Made just for me  … 

Mtr Mary 

*Coat of Many Colors. Songwriter, Dolly Parton. 1971.