We found out last week that we're going to be having a baby girl! I'm starting to look at things and think about things differently already. One thing my wife pointed out to me earlier is that I'm really going to need to pay close attention to what I'm listening to on the radio.
There's almost a little culture shock involved with moving out here from the Bible Belt. In Charleston, most people knew how to look like Christians, and for the most part wanted people to see that side of them when in public. Denver is different, and is taking me back to what Wisconsin was like growing up.
We're going to be going to a park with a bunch of my coworkers on Sunday to "play volleyball". I was excited to play volleyball, but I'm starting to grow concerned that playing volleyball may just be an excuse to get together at the park and get wasted. A sign up sheet for what to bring made its way around and after 4 people decided to bring different kids of beer I decided to bring water. Well... turns out Coor's is close enough to water for most everyone but me. In Charleston the reaction would have probably involved some thoughts about how their grandma had told them to be like that at one point in time, but they had chosen a different path, so in the end it would end up being a very respectful response due to their understanding. Here, the response was more to make fun of the guy bringing water. Totally not a big deal to a 30 year old who has been getting made fun of for 15 years for wanting to be the guy not drinking alcohol, but definitely a reminder of the type of peer pressure that my daughter is going to have to go through at some point.
So, I think having that experience today really helped me read about Bartimaeus in Mark 10 through a different lens.
Bartimaeus was a blind man who happened to be sitting along the road to a city as Jesus and the disciples came through. He overheard someone say that it was Jesus and he began shouting, ", Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
The next verse says, "Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet..."
Bartimaeus is already in a very vulnerable position by not being able to see. I certainly wouldn't want to give anyone any reason to see what they could get away with doing to me if I was blind. I wouldn't want to stick out as different. I definitely wouldn't want to upset a crowd of people.
Bartimaeus didn't care though! "...but he shouted all the more, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!"
Bartimaeus was sold out for Jesus. He knew Jesus was His path. He knew Jesus was the answer. He knew that Jesus was Lord. He wasn't going to hold back what he believed in because some people may have been offended by it. He wasn't going to hide his beliefs because some people didn't understand them. He was going to stand on the mountain and yell it out, because he wanted people to see how awesome his Lord was!
Jesus ends up stopping and telling the disciples to get the man. The man comes to Jesus and after being asked what he wants, he tells Jesus that he wants to see. Immediately, Jesus tells him his faith has healed him and his sight is restored.
I pray that as my daughter grows up and her peers or even people older than her start to try to lead her down paths of destruction, that she'll be wise enough to go harder for God. To yell Jesus louder. To make a scene for her King. Not to back down. Not to hide. Not to give in. We're living for the KING. Everyone else... temporary satisfaction.
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