Who Are You, Really?

   There was a question in John 1 that I wanted to think about this morning:

"And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 

   At first I looked at it as if the question was being asked of me, and I immediately began rehearsing the  roles that I play, but then I thought of another way to take that question:

   When people into my life at a given time, even people that I know well, what if I asked the question, "Who are you?" "What do I need to know about you that would help me relate to you in the right way?"

   I have a few pictures in my files that I entitle faceless portraits, like this:

   That is often the way I relate to people. Who they are and what they might need don't register. They are more like the shadows on the fence, not important at all.

   I am convicted that I just don't care about them at all. When they move or the sun changes its position, they will be gone, and, perhaps an opportunity was lost as well.

   I have been reading a book about Justin. It is his story, and in one section he relates the following incident (edited for brevity).

   "It was nice to have a leader of the ......take an interest in me. This was the first time a Christian leader had taken an interest in me for me, and not for a pretense of setting me straight. It felt good."

   The story proceeds from that point with more conversation and interaction, but the ending tells it all:

   "So much for ..... wanting to know about me and my opinions. None of this was about me, it was about him telling me what he knew I should do. By the end of the time together, I knew exactly where he stood, and he still did not know the first thing about me."

   Oh God, when people come into my life, for a short or long period, let me ask the question, "Who are you?" and then really listen, and care.

   Those shadows on the fence have faces.