FOOLISH

Photo Credit: D. Kelly
@ Pendleton Co., WV

I was sitting at my desk talking with my boss. He was a nice guy, raised in church, and a self-proclaimed agnostic. We had lots of conversations about faith, God, church...and one of his favorite things to get on to me about was my faith. And every once in a while, he would try to trip me up. Knowing me, I'd get a deer in the headlights look, what he said would sink in, and it was on! He was respectful toward me regarding my beliefs, and I to him regarding is ill-gotten unbelief. I'd apologize to him for gossiping or losing my temper, and he'd laugh. It was all good.  And I remember thinking that I should keep my mouth shut about my faith, but I'm built to keep quiet about that.

About that "F" word. I was raised to believe that this was a horrible word and I raised my children with this same belief; this is one word that simply doesn't roll off our tongues. So now you know why of all the conversations we had in that office about faith, God, and Jesus, all those politically incorrect office conversations, this one in particular comes to mind. It was the day I inadvertently called my boss a fool. The climax of the conversation went something like this: Bossman: "You really believe this stuff don't you?" Me: "I'd be a fool not too, and my momma didn't raise no fool."  I'll never forget the way he looked at me, turned on his heel, and went back into his office, leaving me to think "Where in the world did that come from?"  Although, technically, I didn't actually call him a fool; but from a believer to an agnostic...I'm pretty sure its the same difference.

Finally the point to this post! In 2000 something, I was the recipient of a college-wide award and they asked former supervisors for comments. They were humbling and positive, but the only one I really remember was his. "[Dreama] is down to earth with a pure Christian heart." I was stunned. This coming from a man who had seen me lose my temper, gossip, and yes, call him the "F" word. And I stood there, once again, like a deer in the headlights, wondering why he would say that. How could he see Jesus in me when for years, he'd seen the 'real me'?  I could have turned him completely away from seeing Jesus in anyone, anywhere. And then I got it. Because I'm not smart enough to be anyone other than just me, my Christian persona wasn't damaged by being myself. He saw Christ in me because my words and actions matched more often than they didn't. I never tried to be a perfect anything, just a practicing Christian. He saw repentance through the apologies I made after I messed up. He saw Jesus shining through my mistakes when I felt remorse for sinning. I hope y'all don't think I am trying to justify occasional, on-purpose sins, that's not my intent. My intent is to encourage you that when you, too, make foolish mistakes or choices, you seek God's grace and forgiveness. That you practice Christianity, not sin, but when you do, that you'll show the entire process of what it takes to reflect Jesus: fall - say I'm sorry - get back up again - keep going.

If you find yourself struggling with being more human than you can handle from time to time, I encourage you to find scripture that will help you come to terms with it. And remember that the Apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh that he couldn't pray away; he had to learn to deal with it. Who knows, maybe like him, you can use your weakness to show others how you overcome instead of just how you make mistakes? For me personally, I still regret calling a highly educated, successful man the "F" word, but if he can still see Jesus in me...I'll take it!

Have a blessed SUNDAY y'all...Satan wiped away Saturday's original post this morning - so this one's not exactly the same but close

AIN'T GOD GOOD Y'ALL?

In Christ with love and compassion,

Coach Kelly