You probably have a Facebook friend like one of mine. He posts many things on his page, and I read lots of his posts because they reflect pretty good thinking. But nothing he writes really surprises me anymore. It all flows from his heart and character which I believe I have come to know pretty well from his writings, and from meeting him and from hearing him speak in person. “Yep, that sounds just like ____”, I say to myself whenever I read his posts.
It’s pretty amazing how we can figure people out so well. And then, occasionally, they will, out of the blue, say something completely out of character for them. What a strange feeling that is, right? When it happens, we just stare at them, wondering who they are, and what they have done with the person we thought we knew. They probably don’t even realize that they’ve said anything strange. “What?” – they say when they see us staring at them as though they’ve suddenly grown horns.
As I sat at my computer to type this, my wife was using her phone to watch a lady teach a Bible class. [BTW – while nobody bats an eye at that last sentence today, not many years ago, nothing about it would have made any sense whatsoever. Computers didn’t really come into existence at all until the second half of the 20th Century, and they were so gigantic then that no one could have imagined that, in the not-too-distant future, we would all have portable phones that fit in our hands that are orders of magnitude more powerful than those early computers. But we who lived through those days had no idea we were living in The Dark Ages - we just thought it was great to be living in The Modern World!]
Anyway, the person teaching the Bible class that my wife was watching is a well-known lady from Texas. I have learned much from her classes over the years. But that night, I heard something from her that was so completely out of character for her that I was shocked. I have watched and listened to this lady teach many Bible classes, and I have heard her use many different kinds of illustrations to make points in her classes. But last night, for the first time ever, I heard her use an illustration from J.R.R. Tolkien’s masterpiece, “The Lord of The Rings”.
Now, we all know that there is a huge spiritual dimension to the writings of Tolkien. It may perhaps surprise you to learn that I myself have made an occasional reference to “The Lord of The Rings” and/or “The Hobbit” while teaching and preaching. [Ok, ok – I will admit it – I will make a Tolkien reference on any occasion when I can make it fit!] But my audience already knows of my near-obsession with these amazing works, and they probably have come to expect to hear something about wizards or elves or hobbits from me at any moment.
But Tolkien references are NOT something I have ever heard this teacher mention. Nor are they something that I ever expected to hear from her. She is not “the type”, you know what I mean? In fact, my wife was so surprised when she heard it that she backed up the feed and called me over so that I could watch it myself – surely doubting that I would have believed it otherwise.
I’m sure that this Tolkien reference also came as a shock to all of the people listening and watching her teach this class – those people aren’t “the type” either. I’m sure they all believe, though they might not ever say it out-loud, that fans of “The Lord of The Rings” are “nerds”.
“Fascinating” – to quote a favorite saying of another of my fictional heroes – Mr. Spock – thus verifying my “nerd” status for anyone who might still have been wondering.
Actually, what is fascinating about all of this is how easily I have wrapped people up in boxes of assumptions I have made and conclusions I have reached on the flimsiest of evidence. Stereotyping comes naturally to people. Actually, that’s another assumption I have made – one made to help me feel better about myself by claiming, without evidence, that I am not the only one guilty of such foolishness.
“Fascinating” is not really the right word to describe this behavior. “Sad” is a better word. “Sin” might be the best word. And yes, that’s exactly what it is when I make judgments about people based on anything other than their true character.
Of course, none of the “judgments” mentioned herein are of any real significance. Nobody is going to be upset by this kind of silliness. But how easy it seems to be for me to slip into making assumptions and drawing conclusions about people based on things that can and do cause hurt, and which will result in the dissolution of bonds of fellowship, or will result in the construction of barriers to fellowship. There is no reason for this, and there never has been a reason for this. Can I not see beyond surface-level characteristics which cannot begin to describe who people really are in their hearts? When am I going to realize that each person I meet, including the ones I so flippantly lump into false categories of my own choosing, are actually image-bearers of God who have been fearfully and wonderfully made by His own hand, and who are designed to live and enjoy a beautiful and personal relationship with Him for all eternity - all of which, wonderfully and amazingly, actually makes them a part of my family?
People were designed for fellowship. The Church is God’s specific design to produce fellowship in ways beyond which are possible otherwise. The Apostle Paul referred to this as a great mystery that has finally been revealed [Ephesians 3:1-10]. Whenever I do anything that destroys or prevents fellowship, I am preventing God from being revealed in our world. And yes, that is sin. Whenever I do something that creates or strengthens fellowship, God is revealed in our world. And yes, that is good.
[BTW – the word “fellowship” makes me think about the first book in Tolkien’s “The Lord of The Rings” trilogy – “The Fellowship of The Ring” - but you knew that was coming, right?]
So, here’s what I hope I have learned: For the sake of fellowship, I am going to stop making judgments about people based on anything other than their true character. But, since knowing someone’s true character is, at least for me, impossible, maybe the best way to look at people is the way God looks at me – with lots of grace. I know that’s the way so many of you look at me, and I love you for it!
Shepherd | Ambrose Ramsey
