Purpose

In Plain Sight


I often tell people that there’s a part of the absent minded professor in me. A lot of times, people don’t believe this because I’m super organized and quite the planner. However, I think somewhere along the way I learned these abilities as a coping skill. Left to my own devices, the remote control ends up in the refrigerator, the car keys are stored in a baseball cap, and I have a hard time seeing what’s right in front of me.

It’s the latter phenomenon that’s recently reminded me of how oblivious we can be to God. The situation was an inconsequential event; I looked into my shower like I do every day and for some reason noticed the useless, empty container for my razor. Now the container had been there for months, quite possibly years, and I don’t ever remember a time when I used it for its intended purpose. From what I can recall from the original promotional packaging, it was designed to hold the razor and extra blades. Instead of fulfilling its function, it was a useless bathroom accessory – a part of my daily routine and yet without impact or utility.

As I threw the neglected container away I realize that my blinders are not limited to the accoutrement of my shower. Just like I saw that container every day, I am daily reminded of the work that God is doing, and how I should be participating in it. There are opportunities to show people grace that I abandon. There are sins that entangle me that I ignore. There are needs I turn away from even though they plainly confront me. I neglect the work of God, not because its out of sight, but because I don’t perceive that I too have a function to fulfill. When I choose not to participate, I’m as useless as that forgotten container.

In the book of Matthew, Jesus said about his audience, “they will be ever seeing but not perceiving.” (Matthew 13:14). This was His explanation for why He spoke in parables, for if He spoke plainly, then His audience would be accountable accordingly; in His grace, knowing that they would forsake even the plainly presented truth, He chose to veil His meaning (In his book, Faith & Life, B.B. Warfield discusses this extensively in the chapter called “Light & Shining”). While this is dreadful enough, I fear that many time Christ’s revelation is plain, and yet we’re just as blind. Blind caused by our willfulness ignorance not for a lack of ability to see. Similarly, the container was there and I’m sure my eyes gazed over it, yet I did not perceive it. In the same way, God gives us the opportunity to be used by Him and we stand idly by, useless.

May our sight, and our perception increase ever more so that we do not throw away opportunities to serve His purpose.

Continue Reading

Hope Purpose

Crisis=Opportunity

It’s been popularly reported that President Obama’s Chief of Staff has a defined philosophy when it comes to the economic recession. Namely, to never waste a crisis. The idea behind this theory is that a crisis affords one an opportunity to accomplish something that wouldn’t be possible if everything was “normal.” Emergencies create panic, panic creates a heighten need of security, and this heightened need creates the chance for someone to step in and be the hero. Crisis, in other words, allows people to accomplish what might have otherwise been impossible in order to provide a semblance of peace.

Now, assuming that the philosophy has some veracity to it, the question then what is its significance outside the world of politics? For Christians, we have to recognize that it’s often when people are in the most need, i.e. in their own personal critical state of affairs, that they look for answers. Just like the economic recession has caused many to look to our nation’s leaders for solutions, individual’s crisis prompts people to find what that which can be depended on. Someone’s personal crisis then becomes an opportunity to minister to them, to show them the only true Foundation, and to bring them to the Rock that doesn’t move.

However, the other lesson to be learned, is that our commitment to doing the right thing shouldn’t be contingent upon people’s response to it. I’m sure that there were many people who were thrilled to obtain mortgages that they couldn’t afford when the economy was in stellar shape. However, it doesn’t mean that offering them was the right thing to do. In other words, a crisis might bring an opportunity but better to have the right foundation in place to weather the crisis with, rather than building in the midst of a storm. A lot of times when things are going great, we don’t consider speaking to someone about Jesus. We wait until the crisis hits, and they feel the need for answers. But in doing so, we’re helping to ensure that they don’t have the power of Christ to navigate through life’s trials and travails. People may not like hearing about their lack of security when everything seems good, but just because they don’t want to hear it, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t sound the alarm.

A crisis may equal an opportunity. But instead of waiting for the opportunity, why don’t we make our own? It may be harder for us, but it is the more caring thing for the other and as Christians, shouldn’t that be our more important concern?

Continue Reading