Your Spiritual Journey
Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen in Me
Let the Beauty of Jesus Be Seen in Me
I spent last week in London accompanying Ohio University Marching 110 as it participated in London Band Week. The Pride of Dayton Marching Band is taking part next year, so the directors went over to see how things are run so we can help better prepare the UD students when they are there in 2025. Along with OU’s band, many British military and community bands took part, as well as a high school group from Texas. It was a week of making new friends, incredible food, amazing sights and experiences (has King Charles ever waved at YOU?), and music, music, music. I even got to rub elbows with His Majesty’s Royal Marines Band! It was also LONG airplane rides (which included delayed and cancelled flights), incredible traffic, strange surroundings, a somewhat confusing mass transit system, and the stress of performing under unfamiliar and less than perfect circumstances. Since I mostly was an observer rather than participant (EXCEPT for the LONG plane rides), I offer an observation.
At a dinner party or social gathering, most people are kind and thoughtful. When things are easy, it’s no great task to be at peace and easy-going. But, when things go wrong, or there’s a high-pressure situation, the same people can become short, snippy, rude, and generally unpleasant to be around. I witnessed a band director that was funny and charming the first few days turn into someone that I tried to avoid for the rest of the trip. Why? Because when it was time to rehearse for performances, she lashed out at everyone and became easily agitated. When she was offered support and assistance, she was rude and dismissive. The stress of the situation transformed her into someone else.
So, what’s the lesson for us here? It’s easy to reflect Jesus when life is smooth; when the flight is on schedule, when the steak is cooked just the way you ordered it, when you're running late and the freeway is clear of traffic, when everyone is nice to you…you get the idea. But it’s the difficult moments-the times when life isn’t smooth-that test our maturity in Christ. When you're in a hurry and the traffic is heavy, when you miss your connecting flight and have to be rerouted across country, when the steak is overcooked, when a coworker is rude. These situations seem small, but how often do we fail to let our lights continue to shine during these common occurrences? Each one is an opportunity to exercise our faith and demonstrate how Jesus has made a difference in our lives. And, if we consistently fail these small tests, how will we be ready for larger trials?
I pray that when these situations occur, we recognize them as opportunities to let the world see Jesus living in us.
Jim
