Some of you know that my first professional ministry work after graduating from seminary was that of being a hospital chaplain. Specifically, I was an emergency room chaplain, and I loved the work. I was able to care for people in very stressful times…and I was able to learn about the inner workings of the human body. There were several nurses that were really good about showing me things as they were doing their work of cleaning wounds, etc. I got to see a tendon in a finger as well as the lining that surrounds the human skull. Ask me about that story…it’s an interesting one!!
I for one find it fascinating to learn about the inner workings of my body. A number of years ago I was having hernia repair surgery when the anesthesia wore off and I actually came too. I was able to look up into the metal operating room light reflector, which was acting like a mirror, and watch what they were doing in the surgery…inside of me!! I thought that was sooo cool. But then a nurse said, “Doctor!” and I was suddenly back in la la land.
The medical profession has been working hard over the years to help us see what’s on the inside of our bodies and also to bring greater understanding of the connectedness on the inside. I am grateful for the technology that is at our disposal. Last November when I had my little amnesia episode, I experienced this technology up close and personal when they scanned my head to make sure everything was OK. They said it was…relatively speaking. J
As great as our technology is, there’s another scan that is even more incredible and more accurate than anything modern technology has developed. I call it the GL scan. What, you haven’t heard of it? It’s the “God Look” scan. I Samuel 16 tells the story of the Prophet Samuel going to a family to anoint the next king of Israel. The sons of Jesse were lined up…one would be anointed king! The first son was a handsome and big young man. A perfect specimen to be king. Samuel was ready to get out the oil for the symbolic act of anointing him, when he heard God speak. “This is not the one.” God basically tells Samuel to not just look about the physical characteristics of a person to make this kind of decision. God looks upon the heart. God looks on the inside – the character, the integrity, the motivations – the real inner person. With one GL (God Look) scan, God knew that Eliab (that first son) and all the others were not what God desired. One son was missing. You know the story, it was David. When David appeared before Samuel, God said, “This is the one.”
The God Look scan is certainly different than the usual human glimpse of how we view people. This is so evident in the Bible. God chose Mary, an unknown teenager from a family of little means, to be the earthly mother of Jesus. God chose Paul, a man who was a staunch Pharisee who was intentionally seeking to stomp out the Jesus movement, and yet Paul became the greatest evangelist that spread the good news of Jesus throughout the world. I could go on with this kind of list. The Bible is full of stories of the kind of people that we humans tend to overlook, but the God Look scan says, “That’s a person I need!”
Today as we each continue to grow as followers of Jesus, maybe a good question to ask is, “God, what do you see inside of me that I don’t see?” Be open to what God might have to say. Ask trusted friends what they see. Listen carefully for what God might be saying. After all, the God Look scan is more accurate than anything we’ve experienced here on earth. But also know this, the results of the God Look scan are always based on God’s love for each of us.
Serving together,
Pastor Keith