Learning from the Unlikely

 

          This past week our students continued in their series entitled Collide.  Here is a snapshot of this series, “Ask anyone who's ever run into a sliding glass door that was closed, or went for the same baseball as a teammate, or experienced a fender bender at a stoplight-a collision changes things. Whether it's a bump on the head or a cracked bumper, something is not the same as it was before. The same thing happens when we collide with God or His truth or even other people. We're changed. But unless we put ourselves in a position to collide, everything will stay the same. So are you ready to change, are you ready to collide?”

Each week includes a discussion question/point that our parents and their students are encouraged to wrestle through together.  The second week’s discussion question reads as follows, What is something that you have learned about God from a person or source that wouldn’t necessarily be labeled “Christian.” 

            I have a shameless confession to make; my wife and I have enjoyed the show American Idol for several seasons.  Despite the constantly changing judges and the challenging auditions, there is something about the show that pulls at our heartstrings with the opportunity that the show provides to propel someone into stardom.  As we watch each week it seems that we are amazed with the sheer talent of the individuals but recently there was another thought that came through my mind. 

Music can remind us of situations and/or circumstances as well, which is what happened to me a couple of weeks ago as we were watching the show.  A particular song came on that made me begin to think back to my high school days but with a little bit of a twist.  The song that was performed was Joan Osborne’s One of Us.  I remembered the song coming out, its popularity, and the message behind it.  I recalled hearing it for the first time but this time I began to listen more intently to the lyrics.  After listening to this song again I found that several of the lyrics provided a glimpse into the theology of Joan Osborne illustrating a different view of God entirely than what I have.  However, rather than writing the song off entirely because of the difference of views I found myself thinking through the theology presented to see if there was any “Truth” that could be pulled from it.  Many times I feel that Christians are nervous to see if there is Truth presented in songs, movies, people, and circumstances because they are afraid of what may be lying just beneath the surface.  Please understand I am not advocating listening to anything but Christian music or only watching Christian movies because I believe that there is value in “colliding” with people who are different than us in their words, thoughts, and actions.

Think about your own life for a moment.  Are there certain songs, movies, or books that you have seen/read and because of your personal relationship with God, your understanding of that particular item has changed?  Has it impacted your life in a positive way by causing you to grow more on your journey of faith?  Have you been able to find some sort of Truth that God may be seeking to teach you about?  Music, movies, and books have the ability to pull at our heartstrings and provide some insight into our lives.  Why are you drawn to a particular song, movie, or book?  Is it because of the theme that is presented through the lyrics or theme?  Maybe those pieces connect with your heart on a deeper level because of a circumstance in your life, and maybe, just maybe God is trying to convey that truth to you through this unlikely means. 

In my personal life, the most unlikely source of someone/something that taught me about God was a conversation that I had with a young man that I graduated high school with.  This young man cared for others selflessly, tutored the majority of our class through the difficult subjects/classes that we were taking, and helped around the community several times.  It wasn’t until after we graduated that I found out something really interesting about him.  We were at King’s Island strapped into the front seat of a roller coaster, climbing the first hill and we started talking about faith and God.  (I understand this was the most unconventional time but it was when it happened so I went with it).  As we climbed that first hill I told him that I was impressed with service to others, his love for his classmates, and that he was probably one of the best examples of Christ that I had ever seen.  It was at that point he told me that he wasn’t a Christian; in fact he told me that he was an atheist as we plummeted down the first drop.  I was shocked to hear that this was the case as we modeled the love of Christ towards others so freely and openly.  To find out that someone who wasn’t a Christian was modeling Christ this well made me feel a little embarrassed.  That day I realized the need to embrace my calling as a Christian, which is to model the love of Christ because this person who didn’t acknowledge there was a God was doing a better job than I was. 

So I ask you today, who or what is teaching you about the love of Christ?  Who or what is the piece of Truth that you could pull away from that song, movie, or book to enrich your walk of faith?  Please note that I am not saying to disregard any type of censor in your life but rather look at things with a different lens while being sensitive to your own sensors.  Can you learn about God and His love for you from something that isn’t necessarily Christian, of course you can.  So who or what is impacting your journey of faith that wouldn’t typically be labeled “Christian?”