Of Hobbits and Hobos
There’s a guy at our gym who reminds me of a hobbit – small, round, quiet, beardless... very Bilbo Baggins-ish. All that’s missing are the hairy, bare feet. (Yup, I’m starting part two of this blog with yet another gym story.) He’s usually over in what we call the stretching area. Sometimes I see him drifting into the Zumba room. He’s basically the opposite of the intimidating dude I described last time (go here to read about him).
I guess that’s why I was rather shocked when I encountered him recently in the locker room. He was shirtless, facing away from me, and I had an unobstructed view of his back. There, stretching from shoulder to shoulder, was a giant tattoo that declared, in big, bold letters: “SINNER!”
I don’t know this guy. Maybe he has a sordid past. But he looks more like he needs a pipe, a nap, and maybe a second breakfast.
Anyway... my point here (I do have a point... I think) is that sometimes people surprise you. My theories regarding this guy’s tat: 1. after a little too much mead one night, he and his Shire buddies wandered into Mordor and made a bad decision, or 2. he’s got a serious sense of humor.
(I’m leaning toward the former. Mead can sneak up on you if you don’t watch out. Of course, it could have been beer – it does come in pints.)
Whatever the explanation – drunk or sober – that tat made me think a couple of things. For starters, I REALLY wouldn’t want that on my body. Yikes! Second, according to the Bible, we’re all sinners and deserve to have that branded on us. Third, the realization that we’re all sinners is how I became a Christian.
In my case, nobody Bible-thumped me, argued me, scared me, or emotionally manipulated me into the decision to follow Jesus Christ. (It wasn’t a case of excess mead either.) Rather, it was a song we sang in vacation Bible school one summer that did the job.
What I remember is this: sitting on the floor in the youth rec room of the church, with some lady playing the guitar and singing a song that talked about a sinner man running from God. The guy in the lyrics knew there was a God but didn’t want to do things God’s way. So he was hightailing it in the opposite direction.
Jesus doesn’t promise to make things easier, just better – providing purpose, hope, and the security of salvation and eternal life.
At that moment, the choice seemed pretty clear, even to a kid: say yes to Jesus and spend eternity in heaven, or continue to resist and spend eternity in hell. Hmm... let’s see... That’s a tough one...
Naysayers can naysay all they want (I’ll pause here for a naysaying break...) but my decision was genuine, my experience valid. And in the many (M-A-N-Y) years since that choice, Jesus has repeatedly proven himself to be who he claims to be. Namely: the big-T Truth. This has been evidenced by way of his ongoing faithfulness, forgiveness, and goodness, despite my inconsistent, pendulum-like behavior – swinging wildly from devotion to dumpster fire, and back again.
There’s a verse in the Bible that describes this relationship: “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (I John 5:20)
It should be noted that I am not suggesting a relationship with Jesus is an antidote for the pain, anguish, and hardship of life on planet earth. Jesus doesn’t promise to make things easier, just better – providing purpose, hope, and the security of salvation and eternal life.
Skeptics may discount these words, ignore them, or roll their eyes... But from my perspective, it only makes sense to point others to the Truth. If you were convinced that hell was a reality and all of us are on that trajectory, barreling closer to the Lake of Fire with each passing moment... And if you knew that Jesus was the real deal – the Son of God who died and rose again so we could avoid that destination and, instead, spend forever in heaven with him... Wouldn’t you want to make that known to others?
I stumbled upon a source of spiritual sustenance – the Bread of Life – that day in vacation Bible school.
There’s an old proverb about a hobo who serendipitously stumbles upon a huge bag of bread. He starts to chow down on it, then realizes there’s more than he can eat. He suddenly feels a little guilty stuffing himself when there are so many other hungry people wandering around without food. The logical – and loving – thing for him to do is share it
That’s the deal. I stumbled upon a source of spiritual sustenance – the Bread of Life – that day in vacation Bible school. Fellow hobos (and hobbits): Come and get it!