Hiding in Plain Sight

Last week I sold a bike on Marketplace.

After a few days with little interest, I lowered the price a bit and started to get action. A guy I’ll call Jeff was the only one who messaged me and asked to come see it, so we set a time that afternoon.

He drove up in an adventure van and looked like so many other 50-ish guys in our town, fit…but he was unassuming. I had the bike shined up and on a stand just outside the garage. We visited and he rode the bike around the block a couple of times and he said he’d take it. No haggling on the price, just decided.

As we talked, he looked up at some hats I have hanging in the garage, one of which is an Army Ranger Battalion hat. He asked if I was a Ranger and I told him the hat came from a former student who gave it to me when home from one of his many deployments. So, I asked him if he was…and he then unspooled a few feet of line from his story.

Career Army. Tabbed Ranger. Special Forces. Delta Force. Published author. Now retired with his high-school sweetheart wife and sons to Bend.

So, after he left with the bike in the van, I looked the dude up on the old interweb and discovered he’s the real deal. Lt. Col. Five bronze stars and one silver star with valor. Numerous deployments around the globe. War College. Author. Loves Jesus.

Standing in my little garage talking bikes. Hiding in plain sight.

While I might run into Jeff around town, we probably won’t become friends, but it got me to wondering how often I assume a person’s story and miss an Easter egg hidden in the grass…especially in a Jesus-follower. Now, Jeff’s awards and medals were hard-won and deserve the honor of his service, but for believers it is quite different.

Our salvation has nothing, nothing to do with what we have done, or how we use our gifts, or what good we accomplish. Salvation is completely due to the life and death Jesus Christ. That’s the essence of the gospel, the core of grace to you.

Tim Keller puts this so much better than I could write. Take a listen for just under three minutes…I’ll wait.

The guy who bought my bike is a war hero, the real McCoy, and I salute him. But you, my brother or sister in Christ, are covered in more medals and honor than he could ever earn. Keller’s tribute video highlights the core of this message.

The moment you put your faith and trust in Jesus, the Father looks at you, he sees his image in you covered in all that Jesus earned. It’s almost like double honor: You bear his likeness, and Christ’s merit is laid on you. That’s Christ in you, the hope of glory. His love for you is undiminished by anything you do and cannot be lessened by any act of rebellion because, in Jesus, we stand in his presence blameless and with great joy (Jude 24).

And there you are, hiding in plain sight.

Thinking about it, this truth seems to cut three ways.

First, purpose to live out who you are. Daily choices to follow well, to speak hope, to condemn injustice, to give joyfully, to serve and not look to be served. In short, grow into your position.

Second, purpose to look on other Christ-followers as God sees them. This will change how you might interact with them, especially when they bug the snot out of you.

And third, remind other believers of all that is theirs in Jesus. When they pray the Our Father point out the stunning truth that the God of all calls us his child and that we do this in community (our). Together we do our part to have his kingdom come and will be done right here, right now.

Since leaving the service, Jeff hasn’t rested on his accomplishments but now has applied his skills to combat predatory sex traffic rings and the people behind them. He formed a non-profit and goes hard to protect the vulnerable and expose evil. The lesson from that for us is to keep pressing on, using all we have learned into the next arena God opens before us.

Just like Jeff, we don’t need to strut and posture. There is no call for arrogance and dominance. For him and for us, we stand under the Jesus banner, clothed in honor.

Now that’s good news.

Music for the moment

(Throwback to crazy times) Quarantine Big Helsinki Band

Brothers of the Heart

MercyMe Oh Death

It is Well

Do Lord

Funnies for the win

Linda and Marion were comparing notes on the difficulties of running a small business.

"I started a new business last year," Linda said. "I insist that each of my employees take at least a week off every three months."

"Why in the world would you do that?" Marion asked.

"It's the best way I know of to learn which ones I can do without," Linda said.

****************

A woman had some problems, so she went to her doctor of twenty years. They had the following conversation:

Dr.: "Take the red pill after breakfast with one glass of water."

Woman: "Ok."

Dr: "Take the blue pill after lunch with two glasses of water."

Woman: "Ok."

Dr.: "Take the yellow pill after dinner with three glasses of water."

After giving these instructions to the woman, she asks, "Can you tell me what's wrong with me, doctor?"

Dr.: "Yeah. You don't drink enough water."