"Humiliation is the beginning of sanctification" - John Donne

To be humiliated is to have your darkest cobweb filled corner revealed by flood lights for all the world to see. To be humiliated is to be exposed to the cruel coldness of uncaring powermongers who feed on the discomfort of those who cannot defend themselves. To be humiliated is to suffer the pangs of injustice and false accusation. To be humiliated is to be subject to the hoots and hollers, pinches and whistles of callous neanderthals. There are a thousand variations on this theme. In my life I have experienced the slow spiritual roasting that can so often be cause by the harrowing hand of humiliation.

Today, I went through an experience that has brought me to my knees.Several times. And in the aftermath of my surreal Law & Order like experience at the Mexican-American Border I have been grappling with the anger, sorrow, humor, shock, disgust and total mortification that comes when the Federal Government's halphazard incomplete data systems mismatch the identities of criminals with the identities of your average American citizen taking their sister back to America after a round of chemo. That's right. Because I have a similar last name and the same birthdate as some man who is labeled as "armed and dangerous" today became one of the most horrific of my life, second only to most of my 8th grade year.

After much laughter and a river or two of tears I have looked for meaning in the ridiculousness of this situation and I have decided, after reflecting on all of the most trying moments of my life, that it was time to learn the art of acceptance and endurance amidst the humiliations and heartbraches...to allow the pain and sorrow to tenderize and reshape a resentful heart into a grateful one. And I am truly grateful for that gift from God in my moment of humiliation.