Week Two: Day One
The Story
Matt was a part of a youth group at his church when he was thirteen. It was there that he met Jesus and also met a very troubled girl whose name was Lindsey. While Jesus expanded the opportunities of Matt’s life, Lindsey seemed to get in the way. Matt could not understand how his youth pastor, whom everyone called RAZ, cared so deeply for everyone in the group.
As Matt’s thirteenth year crept along he learned more and more about Jesus and the care that Jesus had for people. Something in his heart began to change for Lindsey. Lindsey was certainly troubled, but Matt learned that Lindsey had come from an extremely abusive home. While she was now living with an aunt, she was required to see her parents from time to time.
Lindsey was the type of person who fawned after every man twenty years her senior. She had a large hole in her heart that her earthly daddy had left. Even Matt, at thirteen, could see the chasm.
It was a beautiful night on a retreat in the middle of nowheres-ville when the small worship team was playing quietly allowing everyone who desired to come to the microphone. They told of what God had done for them during the retreat weekend. Matt could not believe his eyes and then his ears when Lindsey stepped up to speak. She began to cry softly as she said that Jesus had broken her heart to pieces that weekend and was restoring it in the most fortified and beautiful way.
To Matt, little changed on the outside in Lindsey’s life over the next few years. Then it happened. During Matt’s sixteenth birthday party Matt’s friend Sam came over to tell him the dreadful news. Lindsey had died in a horrific car accident just a few hours before the party. The entire group of Matt’s friends wept openly. They had never experienced the death of someone so young that they knew.
As the weeks proceeded, Matt’s heart anguished at the thought of what he could have or even should have said to Lindsey after she had accepted Jesus. He knew that he had three years with her that he had squandered. He wondered if he would see her again one day.
The Devotion
A YouTube video went viral with this title: “See What Happens When I Blend This Goldfish”. What is wrong with us that we would click on a video link that says, “See What Happens When I Blend This Goldfish”? Recently, I put an image of a fish in a blender and made it look like a YouTube video. No, I did not blend a fish to furnish that image. A goldfish is hard to find and blenders are expensive. Photoshop is my friend. This was a bait and switch… It was one of the most clicked on images I’ve ever posted. Why?!
Here is a fantastic story about an illustration that a youth pastor used once concerning another unsuspecting goldfish. This youth pastor placed a goldfish in a bowl filled with water and set it on stage. During his teaching time, he reached his hand into the bowl and picked up this live goldfish. As you might imagine, the entire sanctuary, filled with high schoolers, became intent in knowing why he had picked up that fish. He then threw the goldfish onto the ground where it flipped and flopped, flipped and flopped. The stunned room could not believe their eyes. Several of the students jumped up to rescue the fish.
The youth pastor explained that everyone around them who did not have a personal relationship with Jesus was walking around like a fish out of water, dead. He asked them what makes them want to rescue a goldfish but let their peers flop around, walking in darkness, spiritually dead?
That youth leader got fired. No, I’m just kidding… He quit. Well, he did quit, but it was much later and to become a senior worship pastor. But I digress.
While I do not think I personally would be able to throw a goldfish onto the floor like that, his point will forever stick with me. Why would we care so deeply about a three-dollar goldfish whose lifespan is probably no more than a few months, yet we can often care so little about our fellow brothers and sisters? Loving people and loving animals are not mutually exclusive ideas. If you say that you love animals, you should also love people.
I recently heard a student saying that she does not like people. They annoy her. While I appreciate the honesty, Jesus tells us to “love the least of these” (Matthew 25:45). While that scripture is normally attributed to the downtrodden of society, it may also be addressed to those with whom we cannot stand. As Christ followers, we must follow Christ. Our commission is to be Christ’s body in the earth [1 Corinthians 12:27]. We are His hands and feet. Evangelism is our job. To do this, we may need to redirect our attitude and then evaluate those results.
I charge you to say a prayer for all the goldfish who have been harmed for illustration purposes and to find one person for whom you can bring a hot cup of coffee. Serve someone you normally, whether knowingly or subconsciously, have written off. Love God’s children well. You are one. This is the day the Lord has made and I will rejoice in it [Psalm 118:24].
The Bible
Luke 10 | Genesis 45 | 1 Corinthians 12
The Prayer
“Dear Lord Jesus, I pray that You would awaken my heart to see people as You see them. May my heart long for the things that Yours does and break for things that break Yours. Give me Joseph’s heart of restoration as in Genesis 45. Regardless of what my circumstances are, I want to love Your people well. Please give me opportunities today to share Your love in a genuine manner and may it be received. I pray that I would help bring people into the Kingdom of the Living God and enrich their lives. Please continue to grow my character and teach me to be more and more selfless. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
