Sometimes we need to look at the little picture
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My tent was nicely pitched. My freeze-dried meal was begrudgingly consumed. My air mattress was holding on for dear life and I was snuggled in my sleeping bag. The night was star-filled and cool as I fell asleep to the happy babble of a nearby stream.
I woke at midnight to the sounds of footsteps next to my tent. A flashlight illuminated my campsite. My heart raced and my eyes sprung open. What was going on? This happened several times over the next hour. People walking around me in the darkness. Loud talking. Bright lights turning my tent into a flashbulb.
Eventually, this boisterous group gathered into a nearby clearing and finally ended their midnight shenanigans by singing Kum-ba-yah. No, I am not kidding.
I had met them earlier in the day. They were college students participating in a Christian adventure course. Taking a trailside break, they were quick to share that they were “on fire for God” and wanted to impact the world for Jesus. I wished them a safe hike and continued on my way.
I’ve been those kids. I became a Christian at 18-years-old and we knew God called us to save the world. We studied the amazing stories of the apostles: their courage, their commitment, their miracles. Entire cities believing in Jesus. Friends committing to the mission field. Street evangelism. Dramatic stories of faith on the cutting edge.
But I opened my New Testament and dug little deeper. Yes, while every person who “faithed” Jesus is given God’s spiritual presence to live a wonderful new life, they weren’t all expected to be daring apostles. As a matter of fact, they were told to live at peace with others. To be gentle. To do good deeds. To be so kind people would ask why they were different. No commands to raise the dead or evangelize the Roman Senate. Live respectfully in your community and be a good example to your neighbors.
I’ve thought a lot about those enthusiastic, Christian young people stomping through my campsite as they prepared to be bold witnesses for Jesus. I see this in other ways. Today, many Americans who claim God’s favor have become divisive, misogynistic, racist, war-mongering and worse. Somewhere along the way we forgot that the best way to follow Jesus is simply showing kindness to the people around us. That includes people with different skin color. People with different ethnic heritage. People with different understandings of family. People trying to sleep in the woods.
Perhaps it’s time to step back from our media-drenched worldview and pay attention to what is right in front of us. And if you don’t have a Bible handy, perhaps these words from The Hobbit are what we need: “Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check, but that is not what I have found. It is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love.” Amen.