Author: kmmccaleb

Jesus Sightings on a recent trip to NY

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In keeping with the theme from the previous post, I’m trying to “develop an eye for Jesus”. Here are some things I saw and experienced.

  • on the plane – a father caring for his two young sons. he reassured them when there was turbulence, gave them schedule updates as our flight continued to be delayed, spoke to them gently when they got irritated at each other, spoke kindly of their mother (who was not with them), put a protective arm around them both when the plane jumped and acted like it was going to fall from the sky
  • on the streets in NYC – a sweet smile from an older woman I walked past
  • two couples from England who let me go first in line to check into my hotel room when we all get there at the same time around 2am in the morning. i saw them again the next day and it was fun to see “familiar” faces in a sea of strangers
  • getting two standby flights from JFK to ATX after I missed my flight due to travel delays out of the city
  • the AA ticket agent who noticed I’m tall and worked on getting me a seat with more leg room, not just on the leg from JFK to Dallas, but also on the flight from Dallas to ATX
  • on the plane – a (cute) Marine who put my suitcase up in the overhead for me 
  • barely getting to the connecting plane in Dallas before the flight left and being greeted by name by the AA ticket agent and getting reassured that I indeed had a seat on that flight 
  • watching the same AA ticket agent offer a first class upgrade to the military officer who arrived at the gate the same time I did. his smile of gratitude was fabulous
  • the parking agent in ATX who offered to stay at my car with me while I found my car keys

Developing an eye for Jesus

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I’ve been reading a book by Paul E. Miller called The Praying Life and it is fabulous. It has changed the way I view prayer and it has deepened my walk with God. Every chapter is rich in truth and Miller’s writing style is simple but poetic. I think I’ve underlined practically the whole book. 
One chapter called “Developing an eye for Jesus” talks about looking for God at work in a cynical world. In this chapter (and throughout the book) the author not only confronts the world’s cynicism but also believers’ cynicism in how they’ve forgotten to watch for God in our every day lives. 
Here are some quotes from the chapter: 
“Cynicism looks in the wrong direction. It looks for the cracks in Christianity instead of looking for the presence of Jesus. It is an orientation of the heart… Jesus never used his power to show off. He used his power for love. So he wasn’t immensely noticeable… Humility makes you disappear, which is why we avoid it… The presence of Jesus, the only truly authentic person who ever lived, would reveal itself in the restoration of authenticity in people… When we look for Jesus we can find him, even in seemingly mundane encounters… With a little conscious reflection, it is easy to see the beauty of Jesus… Because he keeps his eye on the present work of Jesus, Paul is not overcome by evil but overcomes evil with good. Goodness infests Paul’s prayer life. He is living out the gospel. Even as God has extended grace to Paul, so Paul extends grace to the Corinthians. He looks at the church through rose-colored glasses, tinted with the blood of his Saviour… Christians aren’t superior, but our Saviour is. He makes the difference. He is alive and well in his church.”

Either It’s True or It’s Not

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If you believe the Bible is true, you need to live like it’s true. You need to live in the conviction that it’s true from Genesis to Revelation. It’s all on the table. No piece of can be discarded because it’s inconvenient or painful or awkward to explain to those who don’t understand.

If you are going to live like it’s true, there will be “God-moments” in your life and things will start to happen that can only be explained by the existence of a God. If you live like the Bible is true, your life will start to become a testimony to the truth of God and His Word.

But be consistent. If you say you believe in the Bible, live it. And if you don’t want to live it, then don’t say you believe it’s true. Let your actions be consistent with your beliefs.