I Am Not the one ... But I know the One

I love the whole story of John the Baptist. Especially that he is Jesus’ cousin. Remember back to Luke 1:39-45 when Mary visits Elizabeth. John leapt in her womb and she was filled with the Holy Spirit! Now I don’t know about you, but one of the greatest joys in life has come in the presence of cousins. My sister and I are significantly older than our cousins who lived closest to us. Each time we would visit, they would bounce with joy that we were coming. We adored them and they knew it. My son is an only child and as a young boy, there was nothing like a visit from his 4 cousins. He would beg for them to come stay the night … just to be in their presence was all he wanted. The five of them would snuggle in on the bed, I would turn on the songs of childhood and they would giggle long into the night. The bond was undeniable. And so it was with John, the presence of his cousin, the long awaited Messiah, caused him to do flips in him mama’s tummy.


         But as I have studied John recently I have been struck by this fact, John didn’t come saying “I am the cousin of the one for whom we have been waiting!” He could have told the story he had surely heard at his mother’s knee a dozen times about how he leapt when Mary walked in the room. He could have told of how he received the call to announce the coming Christ. He could have spoken about all he had witnessed as they played in the fields together, talking late into the night among the stars. Rather, he came humbly professing all … that he … was … not. “I am not the Christ. I am not Elijah. I am not a prophet… ” When at last John declared boldly who he was using the words of Isaiah the prophet, he said, “I am the voice of the one calling in the desert, Make straight the way for the Lord.”


Isn’t that the call for each of us, to be the voice in the desert, making straight the way for the Lord?

         This world is surely a desert. Loneliness in the midst of a hyper-connected world is rampant. Dangers hiding in the shadows, mirages promising living water and miles that stretch out for years leaving us wondering if there is life anywhere among us. The neediness that requires filling mounts before us like drifting sand. And our soul is filled with a sense of knowing that time is growing short. We must find our way to refuge. Real refuge. Not a fill-a-momentary-need substitute. But a Psalms-sized refuge ...

         As we journey together in our Summer In Psalms, Pastor Brad brought a powerful Father's Day message that chiseled away at my own heart. His message talked about how as parents we fearfully face the truth that we will injure our children. It's not a matter of 'if' but of 'when' ... and the daunting reality is that until we admit we will never be the one who can meet every need, our failures will always be stumbling blocks for those we love. You see, parents will lose a job that keeps them from paying for college. Sins of the past may shock and disappoint a child because the circumstances of 25 years ago don't match the message of today. Saying yes may require that a parent deny what God's word says ... and so no seems the constant answer. And all of a sudden ... I am simply not enough to meet all of his needs.

Those are real battles at my house this summer.

 Brad's "take away phrase" was

                            I am not the one, but I know the One who is ...

let that settle for a moment.

I am not enough.

And this time, I don't have any way in the whole world to fake it or pretend that I am the one who can make this right.

Failure grabs at me in the night.

But the truth is ... I can't improve enrollment and secure a job. And I while I can do my part and apply. This season is in God's hands. Forgiveness and understanding for what was in the past ... that too is for the Lord to work through. And as for trying to make right what is clearly wrong ... well, that's sorta the easy one in this scenario. I am definitely not the one.

But last night as darkness threatened to grip me, Brad's words rang true.

I AM NOT THE ONE

You see, I should have followed John's lead ... I'm not the Messiah. I'm not Elijah. I'm not a prophet ... he recognized and embraced the fact that he was not the one!!

I am not the one. But I know the One who is.

In my marriage ... I am not the one.
In my parenting ... I am not the one.
In my job ... I am not the one.
In my friendships ... I am not the one.

I can only do my very best to never hinder others from the One ... so I am mindful. But not responsible.