What Lies Beneath

It was only last February that Scott and I graduated to smart phones. I like to think we are, at least, living in the early 21st century now. And while, most of the time, I use my phone for things like phone calls and texts (imagine!), I occasionally use it for music while I'm cooking. I was doing just that the other day when I began going through my mental Rolodex of bands I wanted to hear. Buckcherry came to mind, and with it, a story I've always remembered from an interview with Josh Todd, the group's lead singer. Now, I'm not the "groupie" type, but the story was so charming, so poignant, it has remained with me:

Todd was speaking to his future father-in-law, when the man expressed concern over Todd's many tattoos. Josh Todd responded something like: "I hope there will come a day when you no longer see them."

Todd's story always reminds me how important it is to look more deeply into the people I encounter. Sometimes the "tattoos" that prevent us from really seeing others as they are -- "tattoos" like bad behavior, foul language, filthy habits, polarizing personalities, self-righteousness, self-obsession -- are there with the purpose of distraction. "If you focus on the things about me that offend or intimidate you, maybe you will simply judge me and move on." Those "tattoos" keep the world, as unsafe as it is, from reaching what may really lie inside: fear, anxiety, self-loathing, hurt, weakness, doubt; the armor that others believe they need to cope in a world that is corrupt, threatening, and difficult to navigate; the armor of those without Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let me first say, that as Christians, the only armor we should ever wear is the armor of God. We need to make ourselves available to those who do not know Jesus. We need to -- when called by God -- enter into some murky water, some "unsafe" or "imprudent" situations in order to effectively proclaim Christ to those who do not know Him. (Just to clarify, "unsafe" and "imprudent" as applied to the world's assessment of a situation or place, not God's.) The only armor that will ever keep us and make our work as servants of the Lord effective, is the armor of God.

Secondly, we must learn to see, as much as we can, as God sees. I recognize many "tattoos", and I also know why they are there -- I wore many for the same reasons. By God's grace, many of mine have been removed; but, also by His grace, I now am able to identify and have compassion on those who are still "tatted up." Because of Jesus, I can understand the unruly child and the self-righteous parent; I have compassion on the addict and the cutter. It is by God's grace that I can pray for Him to help me reach the obnoxious neighbor or the lazy coworker.

Years ago I might have prayed God would remove a situation from me, or remove a person from my situation -- and I still think that way sometimes; but God shows us how to see as He sees. God's Spirit teaches us to pray for that "annoying" person at your job, to see what lies deep inside. God's Spirit gives us wisdom and insight to not simply "deal with" a bad situation, but to understand what He can do through it to change us into someone who more closely resembles Him -- people who are marked with the blood of Jesus, rather than the "tattoos" of this world; people who can see beneath the surface.