Invisible

If you had the power to be invisible, how would you use it? What would you do?

Give yourself a moment to come up with an answer before you continue reading….

Got it?

Determine a real answer for what you would do.

….OK?

Alright.

Character is exemplified by what you do when no one is looking. What does your answer say about your character?

I asked my woodshop students this question at school yesterday. I heard the same kind of answers all day long (All 7 class periods). They would:

1.) Steal things.

2.) Go to concerts, games, amusement parks, or flights without tickets.

3.) Stalk celebrities or watch them inappropriately.

4.) Listen in on private conversations from their friends.

My students had fun with the question and laughed about how cool it’d be to have that power. For the first few classes, I laughed and had fun with them too. However, as the day went on, I began to realize that no one seemed to be thinking in generous ways. No one seemed to care about the needs of others or about doing the right thing. No one wanted to hide from the bad guys and be a hero. I mean… How great would it be to secretly deliver a gift to someone and then watch their reaction?

In their answers, the power of invisibility was simply a license to get away with selfish behaviors.  I’ll ask the same question again. “What does this say about our character?” Who are we when no one is looking?

In the Scriptures, (Mark 12:42-43) we read about an little old lady who gave a small amount of money to God’s people, but it was everything she had. She was invisible and her gift was invisible, but it was this action (what she did quietly behind the scenes) for which Jesus commended her.

Who are you in the quiet? When no one is looking? Are you giving or selfish?

 

It just so happened. . .

Ruth
Check out Mark Driscoll's sermon series.

I’ve been studying the book of Ruth lately and it’s been speaking to me in huge ways. Here’s one way:

Ruth 2:3 says “it just so happened” that Ruth was in Boaz’s field. What??

“It just so happened” that Ruth decided to go glean in the barley fields.
“It just so happened” that the young single poor foreign girl was in the rich single Godly man’s field.
“It just so happened” that he came to his field that day.
“It just so happened” that he noticed her.
“It just so happened” that he had already heard of her sacrifices and her character.

Hmm. . .”it just so happened?” Really?? It was all accident??? I’m not buying it. I think there was something else going on. The original Hebrew language does too. God was at work. His invisible hand of providence was working overtime.

Here’s another story about the time I got my first full-time youth ministry job in Tomball.

“It just so happened” that I was realizing music education wasn’t my calling and knew I needed to find another path.
“It just so happened” that the choir director at my church signed me up to go to Choir Camp.
“It just so happened” that the choir camp people lost my registration and offered to let me stay if I would work with the elementary kids.
“It just so happened” that I was placed in a cabin with some kids from Tomball.
“It just so happened” that I worked with another adult from Tomball. (Susan Bryant)
“It just so happened” that Tomball needed a youth minister.
“It just so happened” that the pastor called me during my prayer time where I was seeking God’s guidance.

I can look back on the situation and see that God made “it just so happen. . .”

After Miranda and I come through the other end of this crazy insecure “not-sure-where-our-ministry-is” time in our lives, I’m sure we’ll use that same phrase. “It just so happened” that . . . . . I’m just wondering which moments we’ll be referring to when we say it? I’m keeping my eyes focused and my ears attentive – looking for God.

These are scary times. These are moments where we get the opportunity to exercise our faith. These are exciting times. These are times when I’m grateful for a God who works behind the scenes so that it can “just so happen.”


PS – If you’re interested, I’ll upload the commentary that I’ve been putting together on the book of Ruth sometime soon. I’ve got one more chapter to go.