Bony-fingered beauty

John Zimmer at letters from babylon relates the value of having an old woman in your life to poke a bony finger into your chest when you need setting straight:

My pastor frequently tells a great story about such a woman who took him aside when he was a young man. In those days he was living a double life of sorts, with most people convinced he was the model Christian youth. But one gray-haired lady didn’t buy it. She stuck a finger in his chest and said, “You’re fooling everybody but God and me.” Her words changed his life. Many of us need that kind of course correction once in a while. It is so easy to get caught up in our own lives, worried about our own needs and desires, believing our own truths. We forget the things we once knew and cling instead to lies. We surround ourselves with voices that affirm us instead of voices that speak the truth. The mistakes we make then can ruin lives forever. The seeds sown then can grow into unforeseen consequences of epic proportions. But the end need not be so. Grace is ever present and redemption near. What’s to be done? Find a Bible and a little old lady who will stick her finger in your face.

I've quoted most of John's post here, simply because its so concise and so strong. Thanks, John, for the meditation (And thanks to RazorsKiss for pointing to it).