Photo and Commentary ©2023 by Shelley Schurch
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
Strolling through my hometown neighborhood with two visiting nephews (6th and 8th graders), I was surprised to learn that their version of sightseeing was to keep their eyes downcast, checking out the gutters between street and sidewalk.
“You can find cool stuff sometimes,” they explained. I was dubious. Forty-plus years later I hazily remember that they did pick up a few things they considered to be small treasures, but I do not recall the details, which may be just as well.
This memory surfaced a few days ago when my husband – who is not usually a gutter-searcher – exclaimed, “Look at this!” after falling behind me on our daily walk. He caught up with me and held out his hand with the small metal tag you see in the photo above: “I LOVE YOU MORE. THE END. I WIN. ♥”
“It was in the gutter back there,” he said.
And of course, this reminds me of Jesus.
Who loves you more than anyone else does, more than you can even begin to comprehend? Jesus.
Who, in the battle between good and evil, Saviour and Satan, Servant and serpent, wins in the end? Jesus.
And that’s not all. Let’s go back to where my husband found this message of winning love, back to the gutter.
The online Cambridge Dictionary gives two definitions of gutter, ones that I think of first:
1. The edge of a road where rain flows away. (Me: And where young nephews find treasures.)
2. An open pipe, usually at the lower edge of a roof, that collects and carries away rain.
But then it veers off in a different direction with the last definition of “gutter” as a noun:
3. The lowest level, especially of society.
Over and over in Scripture we read how Jesus was accused of mixing with the “wrong kinds” of people, the lowest levels of society. He treated tax collectors, women, children, prostitutes, and lepers with respect and tender regard. He, like my nephews, kept His eye on the gutter, looking for treasure and finding it in the hearts of people who responded to His unlimited love.
And the dictionary has one definition of “gutter” as a verb: “(of a flame or candle) to burn unevenly and weakly, especially before completely stopping burning.” Example: a guttering candle.
Sometimes we may feel like a guttering candle, when our faith’s flame seems to be flickering feebly in the gusts of trials and temptations, worries and weariness. Jesus knows what it’s like to live on this earth, facing all of that. And since Satan had Him in his crosshairs, He faced much more than we ever will.
He relied completely on His Father God for the strength and courage to keep going, and we can do the same.
As you step out into this brand-new week, give a glance once in a while at a nearby gutter. You may not find a treasure there, but let it remind you of the God who treasures you, loves you more, and who wins in the end.