Option Five

I know this lady who is death to dust. You ask her what is on her ‘to do’ list and on any given day it might be to dust some room in the house. Me, notsomuch. If it is dusty, let it rest in peace. When you next need it, pick it up, turn it upside down and knock the incriminating evidence to the floor (where you can remove it the next time you are sucking dirt out of the carpet with your vacuum.)

Whenever your glance at an object reveals an extra fine layer of grime coating the top, you arrive at one of a very few conclusions. Option One: Tim is in charge of dusting here. Option Two: No one is in charge of dusting here. Option Three: The person in charge of dusting here is not on the job. Option Four: This object would have been dusted if it had been in recent use.

When you spy a powdery cover on a Bible, which option does you mind go to? Okay, after Option One. Yes, Option Four: There would not be dust on this surface if The Book were seeing any use.

Recently I pick up a dusty Bible. And it is true that it had been on my shelf for several months with little attention. But here is where the story takes a twist. I have other Bibles that I use with regular frequency; this just wasn’t one of them.

This particular Bible is the one I kept in my work locker when I was spending my fifty hours a week in the fabrication shop. It was in use five days a week. With the hanger-size doors constantly open to the graveled part dirt part crushed rock parking lot, it is not difficult to imagine how dusty that environment was. To be in use there was to be a dusty Bible.

Now, if you judged this Book by its cover, you could easily determine that it was unused, unloved, unappreciated. If you judged its owner by its cover, you might conclude that he had little interest in the esteemed value of its contents. Not true!

I am very good at seeing what I see and making up my mind about what I’ve seen quite quickly. Although first impressions can be lasting impressions, they may not always be valid impressions, because they may not be accurate impressions. I’ve seen some books with dusty covers that were entirely unused. I know some people whose dusty surfaces belie an active faith and a compassionate heart dominated by the things of God. Judging them based on their appearance would mean passing over a prized possession of God.

In the same way you wouldn’t want to miss the contents of my Book because of its outward appearance, you won’t want to miss out on people God is placing in your path solely because of your initial perceptions gained from what you see on top.

Once having made you initial survey and arriving at the place where you have but a very few available conclusions, entertain “Option Five: This object requires further exploration before arriving at an accurate conclusion.” Please apply Option Five routinely when assessing the people you meet.


Tim Gramly
Education Pastor
SHBC
December 9, 2008