Break Open The Skyনমুনা

The Hardest Thing We'll Ever Do

Some years ago my wife, Belinda, and I were invited to the home of some friends of friends who lived near the city of Toulouse in southern France. They insisted we come for a day or two to enjoy the French countryside. On the heels of an intense season, the idea of spending a few days away sounded delightful.

When we drove up the long, winding road to their house, we realized we had misunderstood what they meant by the word house. In this case, it meant a fifty-room chateau set in a verdant valley amid vineyards as far as the eye could see. Our new friends ushered us into a dining room with twenty-foot ceilings, marble floors, and an array of glorious impressionist paintings. A massive fireplace with flaming logs dominated the far wall. Before us stood a table adorned with silver cutlery, fine dishes, fresh baguettes, and a bottle of red wine. We were stunned.

“Now we must go,” our hosts said in broken English. “Bon appetit!”

We did our best to camouflage our shock with effusive thank-you’s. We waved as they drove away in their vintage Mercedes. Then we closed the door and locked eyes, our jaws dropping in disbelief. Here we were in France, alone, in a mansion, a bottle of wine from a private vintage, a fire blazing before us, and French cuisine on the stove.

I wish I could say that my response was overwhelming joy or happiness or even gratitude, but it wasn’t. Instead, I was overcome by a single thought: “What had we done to deserve this?” My next emotion was guilt. I began offering ideas for how we could tangibly thank our hosts—things we could do, connections we could make, stories we could tell. But anything we tried to do would be a paltry attempt to accommodate our needs, not theirs. It might even offend them.

Finally letting go of our guilt, we took a deep breath, poured a glass of wine, and enjoyed our extravagant evening.

Funny how the human heart feels it must return every favor, no matter how extraordinary or out of reach. Accepting we are accepted for no other reason than that the God of the universe loves us is the hardest thing you and I will ever do.