Over the holiday weekend I
attended my 50th class reunion and the photographer had a hard time
getting everyone corralled. As requested, I positioned myself according to
height, but then one of the former popular kids, with his beer in hand, bulled
his way in front of me and others. The man was intent on being photographed
with one particular classmate and had no regard for those behind him. The
second photo was in another location and I stood next to a landscape barrier
where no one could stand in front of me…or so I thought. One of the popular
girls standing on a ledge below me called to her friends to come and stand on
the landscape barrier itself. I did my best to shake the feeling of being back
in high school and the sense of being overlooked, pushed aside and invisible.
The story of Zacchaeus is a good reminder that Jesus always sees me. Jesus was
passing through Jericho, “A man was there by the name of
Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He
wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the
crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore–fig tree to see
him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the
spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I
must stay at your house today” (Luke 19:2-5 NIV).
1 comment:
Gail;
-----If you want to know at what age someone experienced the most traumatic event of their life, then do something to get them over-the-edge mad and observe the emotional aspects of their reactions. The development of our emotional extremes seems to freeze at the time of a severe trauma. But the maturing of our gleeful frolicking never seems to get out of high school. That’s why the wiser of us never go out-of-control angry or freely frolic in glee. They limit their actions by good reason. Wish I were one of them.
-----When Jesus said the healthy have no need of healing, He didn’t mean there were healthy people. Every last one of us are very sick. He meant those who consider themselves healthy have within themselves not a lick of need for being healed, even though He knows they need healed. They’re fine (for now.) Leave them be (they will get what they chose.) Go to the sick, to those who assess themselves correctly and are crying out for help.
-----One thing noteworthy about popular kids and popular people (both are the same, because really, do we ever grow up?) is their confidence, whether it has foundation or not. Two more things to note are that most have their confidence from an ability to entertain enough people in the room to create a gleeful wave to ride, while a few are confident enough in their intimacy with people to treat them like royalty. Wish there were more of those.
-----Hey! When everything is great; you’ve got the tiger by the tail, and you can sway enough things your own way, then what’s the problem?! “I got what I need! Leave me alone.” Success is like a drug. You’re needing more and more to maintain the high once you’ve gotten lots and lots is the little problem. The big problem is the stupor under which self fulfillment hides reality.
-----Other people are the problem. Other people are very problematic. They all have feelings very important to them. Those feelings are stirred by things happening in their situations. And the Lord feels those feelings. He knows who caused them. Oooops. The problem is becoming intimate enough with the people around you to know how to treat them correctly, “…love one another with brotherly affection; outdo one another in showing honor.” (Rom 12:10b)
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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