 I heard this story from someone who heard the story from someone else who heard the story. There was no author cited. It goes like this: After the divorce, her teenage daughter became increasingly rebellious. It culminated
late one night when the mom got a call from the police.
“You have to come to the police station to pick up your daughter. We are holding her here because she was arrested for drunk driving.”
She picked up her daughter.
They didn't speak until the next afternoon.
Mom broke the tension. She handed her daughter a small box wrapped in gold paper topped with a pink bow.
Her daughter began to open it, nonchalantly, of course. She picked up the small piece of a rock inside the box.
She rolled her eyes, as teens are known to do. "Cute, Mom, what's this for?"
"Here's the card," Mom said.
Her daughter took the card out of the envelope and read it. Tears started to flow down her cheeks.
She got up and gave her mom a big, warm hug, both of them crying, as the card fell to the floor.
On the card were these words:
"This rock is more than 200 million years old. That's how long it will take before I give up on you."
This is a story between a parent and a teenager.
But it is also, in my mind, the story of Hashem and us.
It says "after the divorce."
Could that be, for us, after the destruction of the Temple?
Then, it says “the teenage daughter became increasingly rebellious.” Could it be that many of our behaviors can be viewed as rebellious before God? Do we ever hold a grudge? Do we hold onto anger? Do we steal time by wasting it at work? Do we avoid being true to "who" we really are? Do we not give what we are doing our best effort?
I could go on, listing behaviors that God, or we, might view as rebellious. Rebellious as the mother viewed her daughter’s behavior to be.
We have all heard that there are times in our history when God hides His face from us. There are also times when we don't pray (speak) to God. Can that be compared to the mom and teen not speaking for awhile?
And then, in the story, the mom gives the daughter a gift. The girl does not understand what it is. How many gifts do we have from God that we do not understand to be gifts?
But the next part of this story, I cannot read without tears welling up. "This rock is more than 200 million years old. That's how long it will take before I give up on you."
The mom tells her daughter that she will wait more than 200 million years before she gives up on her.
And isn't that what the Almighty is doing for us?
Soon will be the time on the Jewish calendar for Nachamu - comfort. We rebelled and we lost our Temple, and this will be the time for us to be comforted from our suffering.
"But God heard. He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God who did not turn away my prayer, nor His mercy from me." Tehillim 66:19-20
I look back throughout my life and see God's patience with me. I can see that He heard my prayer, no matter where I was in my life, and no matter what my level. I can see that he might have waited 200 million years for me to find a Torah way to live.
Even when I did not know how to pray the Jewish way, or what to call the Almighty, He still listened to me and was exceedingly patient with me.
It took a very long time for me to find the Torah and a long time to internalize what I was learning. To think that God still loved me, even when I considered myself a Buddhist, a Born Again Christian, a Church of Religious Science member, a Jehovah's Witness, a Course in Miracles student, a non-affiliate, and an adherent of so many of the other religions that I investigated in my spiritual search.
Even through that whole journey that ended up with finding my own truth in Torah from Sinai, God alone understood my journey and loved me every step of the way. He took care of me and protected me from all of the forces that might have damaged me and my soul.
Hashem in his unlimited sight, ability and power still came into my tiny little world and cared for me like a doting, protective, loving parent.
"This rock is more than 200 million years old. That's how long it will take before I give up on you."
Just as the parent in the story will not give up on her daughter, we are God's children and He has not, and will not, give up on you or me.
How blessed have I been! How blessed am I still. How blessed I believe that each of us is, as well.
Nachamu, Nachamu!
Copyright © Chana Klein 2011
www.thespectrumcoach.com
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