Tonight Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will face off in the last presidential debate before the November election. I could post a million reasons why you should vote for one candidate over the other. I could write about why you shouldn’t vote for either one.
But, I won’t.
I want to give you a challenge. I want to see just how good you are at paying attention.
So, the challenge is – “Count how many times players wearing white pass the ball.”
After watching this video, did you see the gorilla? You see, about half the people get so busy watching the basketball, so focused on the moving target…that they miss the gorilla that walks right through the frame. And, if you’re looking for the gorilla, you miss other things…like the changing of the color of the curtain, or that a player exits the game.
If you really focus on something…you might just miss other things.
So, we are as a nation quite focused on the national election. I have to ask myself, did I miss something? Did we miss something?
There’s a passage that comes to mind. It’s literally a heaven or a hell passage:
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
When I read these words from Matthew 25, I have to wonder, am I seeing Jesus in my everyday life? Or, am I so focused on things like a national election that I’ve missed the most important.
Have I seen Jesus in the eyes of a needy child?
Have I recognized Jesus in the voice of my coworker who needs encouragement?
Have I truly embraced the presence of the living God in the outcries of the man who showed up at church simply looking for a job?
I challenge you to open your eyes. See the invisible people. See the invisible God. He’s right here all along.
And, when you do, you can know that the most exciting thing that’s happening is that God’s reign is breaking out in this world. His will is being done. His kingdom is being born into this world.
And, while there may be a debate on tonight…it doesn’t represent the most important choice in our world. The choice you must make is to open your eyes to the divine presence that’s breaking forth.
Will you be a part of that kingdom, of that life?
Profile image by Krassotkin (derivative), Gage Skidmore (Donald Trump), Gage Skidmore (Hillary Clinton) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
