Author: J Brad Mitchell

Just a few weeks ago, I opened my blinds at work, something I do every day because I always like to let the sunlight in.  This time I happened to catch a glimpse of people I knew at the building next door.  I recognized that my Aunt and Uncle were getting in their car.  I picked up my cell phone and texted my Aunt “I see you.”  Because I really could see her, she was looking around wondering where I was.  After a few more texts, they decided to stop by and see me.  Not many people come by my office so it was a real treat when they stopped by to say hello.  Thankfully, she didn’t let the text freak her out, but took time out of her day to come by.  Even though we live close, we rarely get the opportunity to just spend time together.  I was grateful that I saw them.

As this New Year has begun, I have heard of the usual resolutions and goal setting.  I enjoy setting goals myself.  This year, I am working on setting up some accountability so that more of my goals are met.  I have my health and exercise goals, my school and career goals, and my personal goals.  But there is one idea that keeps coming to mind as I begin this year.  I would like to truly take the time to “see” people.  Let me explain.

In my opinion, one of the most valuable gifts that Jesus gave people when he walked the earth was the gift of being seen.  Think about it…the people that he reached out to and that he spent time with were the outcasts, the forgotten, the lowest on every scale.  He didn’t sit at king’s tables or rub elbows with the powerful.  He touched the eyes of the blind.  He healed the disease of the lepers.  He invited the poor to the table.  He sat down at dinner with sinners and the morally questionable.  He looked into the eyes of those who were stepped over, stepped on, and completely forgotten.  Jesus took the time for those that no one else had time for.  He truly saw people.  I believe this made all the difference.

What if you and I took time to truly see people?  We often think of changing the world by doing big things…we think of going across the world to reach people…or feeding whole communities.  I think those are wonderful goals.  But, might it be that we can begin to change our little part of the world by just seeing people?  In the rush of our day, we likely pass many people.  We look down or around or through them.  We avoid eye contact because it can be uncomfortable or because we are just too busy.  Yet, in all of this, we may be missing the opportunity to truly let people know that they have been seen…that they exist…that they are acknowledged…that they are SOMEBODY.  We degrade life when we refuse to see others.  To see someone…if we can have the eyes of Jesus…may change our lives and theirs.  We might see their hurt or their fear or simply that they are people just like us.  We might see their humanity, our shared humanity.  We might see that Jesus loves them just like he loves us.  We might see that they are actually just one of us.  Beneath our façade, we are all created and loved by God.

My prayer for this New Year is that I begin to truly open my eyes, take a moment, and see…see what God has put right in front of me…see those who may not have been seen…and to see with the eyes and love of Jesus.  Open my eyes, Lord.

I think we have finally arrived at the day of reckoning.  For so many years, things have just been accepted.  It has just been the “norm” for this type of thing.  That isn’t the case any longer.  The day has come when people are standing up and saying…this is enough and I will not be subjected to this.  I am grateful for those who have stepped forward to say that they have been treated unfairly, unjustly, and in some cases, devalued as less than a human.

The most recent events have been of women that have come forward to tell of the sexual misconduct of which they have been the victim.  It cannot be easy to come forward, much less in a case where the person is well known and “well respected” in society.  I have personally been shocked by the names that have been called out.  I have heard many say that some of these women have waited too long.  How long is too long when you have been treated in a demeaning, devaluing way?  How long is too long for those whose lives and careers have been ruined because they said no?  How long is too long when these people have had to face shame and despair for so much of their own lives?

It has become a day of reckoning because one woman stood up…then another…then another.  They don’t do this without some backlash…some name calling…some humiliation by those who are hateful and angry and confused.  They do this because it is time.

I have a theory of why sexual misconduct is so rampant in society.  First, and I think most important is the culture of pornography and sex trade.   Could it be that with the influx of pornography and the ease of access…with sex slavery being so prevalent in our world – those factors are playing a huge part in infecting those that are doing things which they think they have the right and power to do? Could it be their hearts and minds have been deceived by the images that they have put into their heart through screens…thoughts they have been allowed to enter because of this deception?

Think of it like this…there are children and young women being sold in sex slavery every day (a fact which still horrifies and angers me).  These people have to be sold to someone.  There has to be a market or there would be no sales.  And, pornography is everywhere.  Someone has to be looking at it or it wouldn’t be…everywhere (TV, ads, internet, phones…everywhere).  These facts have consequences!!  This cannot be without some result to society…to people…to our world.  And why would we think that our leaders, actors, anchormen, and those in power would not be a part of this?  Why would we think that those factors haven’t influenced what is happening and has happened in our world?  When we allow those things which disturb us and hurt us…distort creation and twist truth…to become mainstream in our society…people act according to that.  Ruined relationships…disconnected from reality…painful miserable existences.

Additionally, there has been no accountability. The good ole’ boy network continues to exist where there is no accountability.  Sexual misconduct could be bragged about…used by those in power to get what they want when they want.  If you have power over someone, it is easy to take advantage…and who is to stop it?  No accountability from anyone…those in power and wealth have more power and wealth.

What do we do?  I certainly don’t have all the answers.  But, I do believe one answer is exactly what is happening now….people standing up and saying that this not okay – it never was and never will be.  I also think that there has to be some change…some accountability of what is viewed and what is done.

As a Christian, I also can’t say that sexual misconduct is ever okay nor can I excuse what has happened…we all have to stand with those who have been exploited.  We cannot excuse sexual misconduct, ever.  It is never okay.  Using power and prestige to get what is not yours is never okay.  We do not excuse what has happened.  There are consequences to all of our actions.  That is the day of reckoning.  It is just beginning.  I pray it changes our world…stand up for those who have no voice…for those who have been beaten down…for those who need a hand to hold…stand up Christians!  The day has come.

It is that time again…it is Advent.  This should be a period of waiting.  But who really likes waiting anyway?  As a kid, I loved to watch the Advent Wreath being lit in church…each candle meant we were one week closer to Christmas.  It was exciting but felt like it took forever to happen.  As an adult, we can easily get overwhelmed…there isn’t enough time and there are presents to buy and food to cook (or eat)…there are places to be and church programs to attend.  But, isn’t Advent about waiting?  So what are we waiting for?  Do we really wait for anything any more?  Isn’t waiting really a thing of the past?  We can get food fast and groceries on every corner…we get mad if we have to wait 15 minutes at the bank or for someone to cook something fresh…and don’t get us started about having to wait in line to buy anything during Christmas… We don’t wait?  So what is the deal with this Advent waiting anyway?

Advent is a time to remember to wait expectantly…to have some excitement about the wait (like kids waiting for Christmas).  Waiting for Christ to come.  Yet…he came, as a baby.  So what are we waiting for again?  I hear the words of Zechariah so loudly during this time.  His words are captured in Luke 1:67-79.  He is speaking of the things his son (John) will do as he grows.  As he speaks, he reminds us of something exciting…something worth waiting for…something to watch and keep our eyes open for…he reminds us of the dawn breaking.

I don’t know about you, but I love to watch the dawn break.  I run early in the morning and one of the best times is when it is so dark and then dawn breaks.  It is as if God turns on a light switch – pronouncing “let there be light” each new day.  It is a time of promise.  It is just before the orange and red hues appear over the horizon.  You know the sun is coming and a new day is here!  The dawn breaking…the light coming…THAT is exciting and worth waiting for.

But we don’t see a dawn breaking, do we?  We know darkness.  We understand what it is to live in a dark world.  When there are people who are killing kids in schools, riots that trample people and destroy property as a way to make a point, selling of young people into sex slavery, abuse of the elderly…when there are hurricanes that destroy entire countries and wildfires that sweep across a state…we know dark.  When church is not your “safe place” any more, we know dark.  And yet, our scripture today says that darkness is not all there is, regardless of how dark it may seem, there is LIGHT.

Darkness is NOT all there is.  There is promise and hope.  There is a new dawn breaking.  It can be found in Christ at work in us, through us, and around us.  Christ is at work…there is THE light…the dawn is here.  Where might you find that dawn?  It can be found in those that love their neighbor…even when the neighbor is unlovable.  The light can be found in feeding the hungry, sheltering those who are without, giving unexpectedly and without recognition…the light can be found in those who stand and show what it really means to love God and to love others, no matter the cost.  Light can be seen in those who find take the time to listen…to really see people…and to give of their talents for others.  To give is to see light.  To love is to be the light.  There is a new dawn breaking and it is found in those that love God.  Is the dawn breaking through and in you?  It is worth looking for…and worth the wait.  God created…and it is good.

I crave routine…there, I have written it.  It is out and I can’t help it.  If you asked me, I would probably tell you that I enjoy adventure and the excitement of spontaneity, never mentioning my desire for the routine and mundane.  But, when I am on vacation and out of the normal schedule of my life, I realize that my body and mind need the routine.

I would think that getting up whenever I wanted and taking my time to get started…not having a schedule of work or a day fully booked…not worrying about making my lunch or where I am to be…all of this would be welcome in an overloaded life.  For me, it’s simply not true.  It still comes back to the fact that I need and crave routine.  I can’t help it and I can’t deny it.

I miss getting up at the same time every day, working out according to a schedule, having the same breakfast, knowing the structure of my day, and wrapping my mind around it all.  I have also learned that I struggle to write when I am off my normal routine.  I had BIG plans for this vacation.  I was going to get up earlier than everyone else, which is my usual, and write every single day.  I managed to actually pull this off 2 of 5 days.  The words just don’t flow easily like I thought.  I, apparently, need and crave routine.

What I have also learned is that vacation gives me two new perspectives.  I realize that I need the reset in my life.  That’s what vacation is for me…a reset.  The other day, one of our devices at home wasn’t working.  I couldn’t get it to turn on or turn off.  What did I do?  I hit the reset button.  The same concept as the CTRL-ALT-DEL function.  And, it worked.  The reset button readjusted the settings and the device worked again.  For me, vacation is my reset button.  It allows me to get out of the rush of the 7 day work week.  It helps me to stop and rest and breathe.  I don’t eat the same things or constantly check my schedule.  I let other people decide where we go and what we do without a plan.  It is difficult but it allows me to stop for a moment and reset.

I have also learned that I am truly grateful for my life.  I am grateful for the early morning exercise, the joy of the smell and taste of fresh brewed coffee, the nutritional food prepared by my wonderful wife, the rhythm of work and church, and the blessing of watching my beautiful children grow.  I am grateful for family and friends that love and support each other.  I am grateful for each new day in all of its glory and all of its struggles.  I am grateful.

In the end, this week has been an important reset in my life.  I look forward to returning to routine.  And, I look forward to what God has in store.

Sometimes I am caught off guard.  I just don’t expect it.  Today, it happened when I went for a run.  I was cooling off before getting back in the car and I looked down to see what is in the picture.  Yes, it is a storm sewer cover in a parking lot.  No big deal…they are in lots of places.  What caught my attention is what else is written on it…”Do Not Enter…Confined Space”.  I thought…you’ve got to be kidding me.  People actually have to be warned not to crawl into this hole…and they have to be told it is a confined space.  To give you a perspective on the size, I put my foot next to it, which is almost the size of the hole!  What in the world?  In my often said word…REALLY?!?

Have we really become a society that has to be told not to enter a small hole and warned that it is a confined space?  Now, I understand it is a liability issue.  This way, companies are covered.  But the fact that this even has to be stated is shocking to me.  Seeing this caused me to start looking around at all the signs in our lives.  We see signs to give us directions, warn us of construction ahead, suggest a speed limit, tell us someone is cutting grass on the road side, and even to stop us from going down the wrong side of a one way street.  Signs are good…if we follow them.

There are signs everywhere…even signs our bodies give us.  We are warned when we are  stressing too much or overly anxious.  We are sometimes given warnings when there is something wrong that we didn’t even realize was wrong – like getting tingling in our arm when the arteries to the heart is blocked.  Spiritually, there are signs too.  When we are out of touch with our Creator…when we have distanced ourselves from the One that loves us…when we have avoided the time to be still and listen…we suffer spiritually.  Our lives get off track.  We begin to lose the joy we once had.  We find that something isn’t quite right.  It is in those times that I realize my quiet time has been missing…my time of listening and meditation…my time of communion with God.

I am grateful for warning signs…I just pray I pay enough attention to follow them.  What warning signs have you been receiving lately?

Life has a rhythm…sometimes it is felt in staccato…sometimes in the rest…but most of the time, the rhythm is most appreciated in the regular, seemingly mundane half and quarter notes of 4/4 time…even among the whole notes.  For it is in those notes our lives are composed.

I felt this rhythm or the lack of it on my first week out of routine.  I’m not in denial of a routine…it is part of me…  From the rising in the morning to the fuel for the day to the setting of the sun…it is my routine and it is beautiful.  It can’t always be as it is, though.  The song changes, the timing shifts, there is a turn of the page.  What happens when routine flow is no longer routine?  At first, confusion…seemingly scattered thoughts…incoherent ideas…the haphazard life that has been avoided through the routine…but the routine isn’t always possible.  Eventually a new song begins to form…a new work of art…a masterpiece of its own…a joyful set of notes that comes together when least expected and a new rhythm is set into motion.  Had the first not been interrupted, the new might have been missed.  This is the joy of the journey.

Sometimes changing rhythms is scary…turning the page can be unsettling…changing the pace can be unnerving… But if you are willing to move forward, the new song is also a gift.  There is gratefulness in the song, whether a deeper, more solemn tone or an uplifting, celebratory tune.  There is something to learn, something to enjoy, something to take hold of, something that becomes a part of your overall score…your life’s masterpiece…your music for the world to hear and experience that can change the landscape of those around you.  Your music can inspire and uplift…it can flow with those who are struggling…it can show love as it carries others away to another place and time.  Your music, your rhythm is important…God created this song, this score…he composed the notes.  We just have to trust that the composer is there…conducting, leading, turning the pages, traveling the journey…with…us.  Life has a beautiful rhythm…don’t miss the beat.

In the picture…do you see it?  It is just to the left of the large tomato plant.  It is small, almost not recognizable, but it is there.  It is a smaller tomato plant that is growing.  It all started with trimming.  The larger plant to the right of it had a section that needed some attention.  This part of the plant ended up breaking off.  The instant, logical answer would have been to throw it away.  It is, after all, nothing more than a mistake…an error…something that came off in the care of the plant.  The tomato plant itself would continue to grow without it.  It would go on to produce tomatoes and would not even notice that this part had been disconnected.  But…it wasn’t thrown away.

As my mom held it in her hand, she saw potential.  She saw a possibility in this.  So she simply stuck it in the garden next to the other plant.  There was nothing special done…just stuck it in the dirt so that it would get the same water and nutrients as everything else in the garden.  At first, it struggled.  It was in a new environment…on its own…not connected to the life source it had always known.  It shriveled and looked as if it would die.  It looked like nothing more than a weed.  We didn’t pull it.  We just let it adapt.  We just watched and watered.  And then we watched it start to grow.  I have been amazed to see this little stem…this little bit of seemingly insignificance start to grow and get stronger.  It is beginning to flourish.  Will it produce actual tomatoes?  I guess that is to be seen.  But it definitely is holding its own…well, with a little water and love like everything else in the garden needs.

In my small, limited view, I couldn’t help but think this might just be how God sees us sometimes.  The world may see us as small and insignificant, but God sees potential for fruit bearing in us.  We struggle to find out who we are.  We struggle to adapt to a new environment.  We can feel like nothing more than a little sprig in a great big garden.  It may seem as though we aren’t going to do what we were created to do.  And then we get it…we hear his voice…we feel his presence…we are overwhelmed by his love…and we begin to flourish.  We flourish because we are made by him and cared for by him.  We flourish in the hopes that we will too bear fruit as we are created.  We flourish to show others that what the world calls insignificant, God calls strong…loved…filled with purpose…valuable…his beloved.  In your struggles, keep growing and keep watching…God can do mighty things with just a little willingness.  Stand tall…for you have a purpose.

One of the joys for me over the last couple of months has been watching the garden grow.  What started as just a few little plants has blossomed into a beautiful garden that has already produced several dishes on a hot summer-like afternoon.  There is something unique and special about being able to cut up a vegetable that you planted and then watched grow.  I can’t quite describe the feeling of eating from my own garden – it is as if I was a partner with God in the growth of this crop.  I planted and watered – he took care of the rest.  It gives a new perspective on creation and the importance of being a good steward of the world God has given us.

Today, I had the opportunity for my morning visit and tending of the garden (something I really look forward to as the sun comes up).  Some of the garden is beginning to show signs of fatigue…we have been fighting pests that want to eat the collards and cabbage…and now the squash leaves are being attacked.  It is still a joy to tend the garden, but a little disheartening to see the slow destruction by little enemies I do not even see.  They eat away at the beauty of the garden when I don’t even know they are there.  Don’t get me wrong…I am grateful for the crop I have already been able to get from the garden.  I am grateful for the okra that are starting to appear, the tomatoes that are green but show delicious potential.  The zucchini continue to come along slowly with their massive overwhelming leaves.  It is not that I have missed the joy and the beauty.  It is more that I am amazed at the things that eat away at the creation that aren’t even seen.  Often they are there before you know it and you spend the rest of your time trying to combat what you didn’t even know was there in the first place.

Isn’t that often what happens to us?  We are going along great…feeling joyful…enjoying life.  We are being productive, feeling good about our small but significant contribution to the world.  But if we are not careful…if we are not alert…if we are not paying attention…little things can be destroying us and we not recognize it.  For me, I am most alert to this when I am still and silent.  I am most aware of those little things that are going on when I am listening…when I stop the hectic pace of the day.  I am awakened to my disease when I read God’s Word.  I realize that I have a life that is wonderful and I am grateful.  I have a life that needs to be tended to and watched carefully so that I can grow and develop into what God has created.  I have to be aware that there is an enemy that wants to destroy but I have a God that is bigger than the enemy.  If I want to flourish and produce and be all that I am created, I have to be aware of the things that may be trying to take me away from my purpose.  What may be distracting you today?  What is it that may be eating away at you this morning that you haven’t considered?