How to Love Charles

“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” ~ 1 Samuel 16:7

I had just enough time to eat lunch, finish some homework, and make it to class. No distractions were going to get in my way; I was focused.

After setting my popcorn chicken from the university café down on my little secluded table, I bowed my head and closed my eyes to pray over my food.

“God, thank you for that which died so I could eat…”

I felt the presence of someone suddenly standing over me, but trying my best to ignore the shadow, I finished my prayer without breaking my focus.

“…and thank you for the hands that prepared this meal. In Your Name, amen.”

I looked up to find I had been right: a student in his early-30’s was hovering over me.

“Were you praying?” the student asked me.

“Yes,” I told him.

“What do you do?”

“What… what do I do?” I asked him, annoyed.

“Yeah, what do you do,” he repeated. “Major?”

This guy obviously had something wrong with him. Considering he was a college student, certainly he was able to function and had some level of critical thinking skills, but by no means was I convinced that he was “all there.” I tried giving him nonverbal cues that I really didn’t want to talk to him, but he seemed to lack the social awareness component to pick up on it.

“I’m a Psychology Major,” I told him. As if that was an invitation, the student threw his coat down on the table and sat in the only other chair placed opposite of where I sat.

I need to make a break for it. He’s not getting my hints. I’ve got too much to do today.

“I’m Charles,” he broke my concentration.

Okay. Remember Danger, this could be Jesus here. This could be Jesus. This could be Jesus.

“Hi, Charles… my name is…”

“Do you believe in aliens?” Charles interrupted me.

“What?” I clarified.

“Well, I do. I believe in aliens. I think the government keeps us from them.”

Jesus would love Charles if He were here right now. Jesus wants me to love Charles, too. I need to love Charles.

“Hey, is that your bag? The one with the military symbol?” Charles asked me.

I looked over at my bag with the sewn-on chevrons that indicated ‘Sergeant’ rank in the Army.

“Yes, that’s mine.”

“So, you in the military?”

“Yes, I am. I’m in the National Guard.”

“I also think that the government likes to start wars.”

BAH! I know Jesus wants me to love this guy, but would Jesus listen to this nonsense if He was in a hurry?

I kept fidgeting in my seat, anxious to leave Charles with his own thoughts so I could go tackle my errands before class.

You know what? I bet this Charles guy doesn’t have many friends. And I bet nobody ever listens to him. I bet a lot of people are rude to him.

“The thing with Iraq is the oil…” Charles continued ranting as I thought through my options.

You know what? Forget my errands. I can do those later. If Jesus were here, He would listen to Charles, no matter how crazy he is. Because this guy is loved by Jesus, I owe it to him to listen to him. That’s what Jesus would do.

For the next hour, Charles continued rambling. He talked about the existence of aliens, discussed politics that I disagreed with, gave an analysis of the oddity of human nature, and touched on random topics as I struggled to follow what he was saying. And you know what? I learned to love it. I loved hearing Charles rant. After I put my needs and desires on the backburner, and I tried to imagine what Jesus would do in this awkward situation, I found I really enjoyed hearing Charles mindlessly express his feelings, even though I agreed with almost nothing he was saying.

Certainly, other people had once been in the same position I was and made a break for it. And, I can’t blame them for doing it. But by sticking around long enough to get comfortable around Charles, I found I enjoyed his company. I found I got a warm feeling for it. I found that I enjoyed the complexity of human interaction. And, more than anything, I found that I enjoyed following God’s command to love the least.

Sure, I didn’t get any of my errands done that I needed to. But you know what? Nothing’s more important than loving the people that Christ Himself most loved while on earth.

And You Thought People Hated LeBron…

“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” ~ Ephesians 4:22-24

Rick “Rim Wrecker” Rodney couldn’t even see the jersey he was holding out, the flashing lights from the media’s cameras blinding him. Yes, Rick had just become the newest #1 draft pick for the NBA, playing for his hometown team, the St. Louis Archers. His entire life had culminated to this point, from his days as a sweeper in his dad’s donut shop to his 4 years of college basketball that blew away NBA scouts. The newest superstar smiled into the microphone, “See you all on the court! Rick Rodney is back in town!”

It was the greatest day of Rick’s life, but what followed was utter disappointment. At the beginning of the season, Rick would sometimes show up late to pre-game warmups, explaining that he lost track of time. By mid-season, Rick would often call in on gamedays and tell his coach he wouldn’t be playing because he strained his ankle the night before. And when the St. Louis Archers needed Rick Rodney the most as they were desperately fighting to stay alive in the playoff hunt at the end of the season, he decided he didn’t feel like playing in the NBA anymore and skipped the majority of the final games.

As you can imagine, Rick went from being “Rim Wrecker” to “Career Wrecker” as the general manager released him from the team. The Archers’ coach scratched his head, “Ricky, why would you breach this contract? Why’d you quit?”

Rick shrugged his shoulders, “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.”

The act of fictional character Rick Rodney disappointing the fictional St. Louis Archers is not unlike many real Christians who disappoint their real God. Many Christians (and I use that term loosely here) think that once their “draft day” has concluded, that the “gamedays” that follow are of little importance. Just like Rick Rodney who committed to play for the Archers and then began pursuing other interests, many people decide to become Christians without realizing the kind of commitment they are pledging to God. You know these people: they’re the ones who “tried” being a Christian at some point in their life and it “didn’t work out” for them. Or worse, they’re the ones who still call themselves Christian but never concern themselves with Christ’s teachings. God simply scratches His head at these people and asks, “Why’d you quit?” to which the response is, “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into.”

Yes, God wants you to have a “draft day” where you decide to join His team. But He doesn’t want it to end there. He’s not there for you to “try Christianity out” to see if it’s right for you. He wants a commitment from you, where you fall to your knees and plead for mercy after recognizing that you’re a sinner in need of His redemption. After all, being a Christian isn’t just about becoming a Christian, but daily drawing nearer to God and showing others the love of Jesus Christ that will lead them to know Him.

If you’ve already had your “draft day” where you decided that Jesus is Lord, consider how your season’s been going. Are you full of excitement to learn about the Lord and tell the world about His love? Or are you like Rick Rodney, disconcerted and exhausted by a commitment you’re no longer interested in keeping?

If so, what steps can you take to find the renewed fervor you once claimed? After all, this is one Coach worth your 110% performance.

Where Will You Be After the Poker Faces Finally Fold?

“All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” ~ Matthew 10:22

Why do you believe what you believe? How did you become a Christian? Was it God’s amazing power that caused you to fall to your knees in a moment of revelation that He loves you? Or did a wise friend lead you towards the Lord while you were on a search for Truth? Or were you raised Christian by your family and never questioned the foundations of your beliefs? Or, perhaps, you found that Christianity was the largest world religion, and so you decided to go with the flow, because 2.1 billion believers can’t be wrong?

How ever you accepted Christ is quite inconsequential; what is truly important is that you accepted Christ at all, and that you realize now that Christ is Lord of Lords, no matter what anyone says.

But… what if that person who led you to Christ suddenly renounced his or her faith, and proclaimed that God is dead? What if you found out that your parents never truly believed in Jesus, but they forced the beliefs on you just so you would grow up to be an upright citizen? What if Christianity was the world’s smallest religion, where a mere 20,000 yet claimed their faith in Jesus?

Or, what if you were the only one that knew Christ? What if all of your fellow church members stopped believing, including your pastor? What if your friends stopped calling on God’s name? What if you were the only believer left in the world… would you still stand as a rock? Or would you waver, unsure of what is true anymore?

According to the Bible, trials lay ahead in which so-called “believers” renounce their faith. Will that cause you to falter?

Always remember that no matter what I, the person next to you, your family, or your pastor may ever say, what is most important is that you know that Christ is the Lord who came down to save you. That fact will never change, no matter what the rest of the world believes.

Don’t ever fall victim to Satan’s traps that try to make you believe that Jesus is a myth, and don’t allow Satan to trick you into thinking that Jesus doesn’t love you. The fact of the matter is Jesus would have come down to earth to be a Savior for the world, even if you were the only one in it.

But you didn’t need me to tell you that… right?

Rock the Lake

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” ~ Matthew 16:25

BLIP!

The boy smiled with satisfaction.

BLIP!

Wading through the weeds, the boy picked up the rock again.

BLIP!

“What are you doing?” the deep voice boomed.

Startled, the boy turned around to see his grandpa hovering behind him.

“What are you doing?” the grandpa repeated, then chuckled at his grandson, who despite rolling up his pants to keep from getting wet, was drenched from the waist down. “You trying to catch a cold out here?”

The boy giggled, “Silly Grampa! I’m not trying to catch anything. I’m just tossin’.”

“Whatcha tossing?”

BLIP!

“This pebble, Grampa. I’m tossin’ the pebble into the lake here, and watching the effect it has on the water.”

BLIP!

“I used to do that when I was your age, too. But you know what I did differently?”

“What?” the boy gave him his full attention, eager to learn his grandpa’s secret.

“I would throw them rocks higher and farther. I’d make those rocks splash something fierce.”

“Well, if I do that, I’ll lose my pebble, Grampa.”

“But what you’re doing doesn’t seem very fun to me.”

“Well,” the boy protested, “it’s fun enough!”

BLIP!

“Fun enough? Is that what you’re trying to achieve, just enough?” Grampa laughed. “Don’t you want to have a bigger impact than just enough?”

“Of course I do, Grampa. But if I do that, I might lose my pebble. Then I wouldn’t have anything to play with.”

“So, you’re more worried about sacrificing your rock than you are about making the biggest, deepest, and bestest splash you can make?”

“Well, yeah, Grampa. I only have one pebble to lose. If I throw it high and far, I’ll probably lose it. See here?”

The boy gently tossed his rock into the water. BLIP! A couple ripples expanded out, but quickly disappeared, and the rock resurfaced a moment later in the same spot it made its blip.

Grampa stroked his chin with his hand, nodding as he understood his grandson’s stance.

“I see what you mean,” he said, “but I’m not impressed with your ripples. Want to see how I do it?”

“Well, sure, Grampa. But am I going to lose this pebble then?”

“Probably,” he admitted. “But if we don’t do it my way, I don’t think this rock is going to ever achieve its full potential. It’ll just make these piddly ripples all its existence. Can I have a try?”

The boy handed the rock to his grandpa.

“Are you okay with losing this?” Grampa inquired.

“Is it the only way?” the boy asked.

Grampa sternly looked into his grandson’s eyes as his eyebrows furrowed down to display his seriousness.

“Son, it’s the only way.”

The boy bravely nodded, understanding his fun would end after giving his grandpa a try with his rock.

“Alright, here’s the first thing you gotta do: stop calling this a pebble. It’s not a pebble, it’s a rock. Pebbles don’t have the weight to make ripples. What you have here is a firm, solid rock, and don’t you underestimate that.”

The boy nodded again, soaking in everything his grandpa was instructing him to do.

“Next, you take this rock and get a good feel for it,” Grampa said as he handed the boy the rock. “Feel the rock in your fingers, so you can get an idea of its strength so you know just how hard you gotta throw it.”

“It’s pretty strong, Grampa.”

“All rocks should be. But do you know what the next step is?”

The boy shook his head and handed the rock back to his grandpa.

“You gotta just throw it. Don’t waste too much time figuring out your approach or where it might land, you gotta just throw it. We’re trying to make big ripples here, it doesn’t matter where it lands, right?”

“Right, Grampa.”

“Now, keep in mind, the higher you throw it, the stronger the impact it’s going to have on the water, and when it hits the lake, the more resistance it’ll get.”

“That’s when I’ll lose my rock, huh, Grampa?”

“Yes, that’ll be it then. The rock will make a momentary hole in the spot it lands in the lake, and the water will quickly engulf the rock, smacking against itself and creating the ripples.”

The boy nodded, nervously fidgeting in his place.

“Say,” Grampa spoke up, “why don’t you throw this for me? Your arm is stronger.”

“But what if I mess it up, Grampa?”

“Throw it strong, throw it without fear or hesitation, and I promise you won’t mess it up.”

The boy’s grandpa handed him the rock, and the boy felt it in his fingers again. Taking a deep breath in, the boy slung his arm back and pitched the rock as far as he could.

SPLA-AAAASH!!!

The bass in the lake scattered in fear of the rock’s impact, and water shot up into the air like a geyser.

“Whoa-hoa-hoa, Grampa! Did you see that? It went SPLASH! It was like dynamite!”

Grampa put his hands on the boy’s shoulders and firmly squeezed his collar bone.

“But look!” cried Grampa. “See them ripples?”

The boy gazed out at the sparkling water and saw more ripples than he could count. In one splash, the boy had created more ripples in one pitch than he had by gently tossing the rock all day.

Grampa put his hand on the boy’s chest, feeling his heartbeat rapidly pace. The boy turned around and looked at his grandpa.

“What’s wrong?” asked Grampa, noticing the boy had a frown on his face.

“I lost my rock.”

“Remember, if you’re not willing to lose your rock, you’ll never make a lasting ripple.”

“But it’s all alone now.”

“Nah,” Grampa said, swatting the air like he was swatting his grandson’s worries, “it’s not alone. It’s with all the other rocks that made a big splash. And now, you’ll never have to worry about losing the rock again. This is a happy moment, not a sad one.”

The boy looked out at where the rock had landed. It looked peaceful now, as if it never had been splashed, but the boy knew well it had been because there were still so many strong ripples traveling towards the inland.

“It’s too bad the rock can’t see its ripples.”

“What are you talking about?!” Grampa incredulously asked. “That rock has the best view out of the three of us! It can see all its ripples now. It just has to look to the surface.”

“I still don’t think the rock sees its ripples.”

“Well, why not?” a very confused Grampa asked.

“I think it’s too busy enjoying the lake.”