Run the Miles and Earn It

There was a time in my life when I would've demanded to be heard. Straight up. I would've bullied my way into the presence of those that "needed" straightening out with a tyrannical intensity. Self-confidence (read: arrogance) was not a problem for me. You either ended up agreeing with me or you were an idiot. I was so passionate in my beliefs that there simply was no room for yours. I had it all figured out. Life was a zero-sum game; somebody wins and somebody loses. I had no desire to be a loser.

I don't know about you but when I read the bible I see a lot of my past self in a number of people. Certainly in the early Paul (I would've been there, full of self-righteousness, to judge Stephen because, well, he would've dared to disagree with me) and again in Peter (when Judas showed, with his cadre of Roman soldiers, I too would've done a quick survival assessment and cut my losses, even if that loss was Christ) and most certainly in Thomas (I've often asked for proof in the place of faith, because it's a hard world that wants hard answers).

God knows this about me. These men are my mile markers in the bible. For some of you it's Solomon and James. Others of you will identify more with Ruth and the woman at the well and still others will find a lot of yourself in Luke and the prodigal son.  In all the many individuals of the bible there is someone for everyone, and that's the point. How could the word of God speak to each of us if there, inside it, weren't a little bit of us too? But in recognizing your mile markers do not miss the point: you are running a marathon and when the race is done there's only one person you should identify with the most and that person is Jesus.

Jesus wasn't about winning or losing, he was about doing and struggling. And Jesus never demanded to be heard. He earned that right. I think he expects us to earn it as well, a little bit more, each and every day. How? By sharing in the lives of all those around you and being there whenever there is hurt. If Jesus proved nothing else it's that there's not a hurt in the world that cannot be loved away.