Hebrews 4:15-16
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
There is a program on television called Undercover Boss. Maybe you have seen it. The premise is simple: a CEO or owner (or some other high ranking official) of a business takes a position as a lower level employee while keeping his/her identity hidden. He or she does this with the intention of discovering many things. What is most important to the disguised worker is to gain new insight about ways to make the business more appealing to the public, and to create a work environment which builds employee morale and encourages a positive work ethic. The idea is to make those responsible for the "backbone" of the work feel important and appreciated, so that they will be happy and productive in the performance of their service, and more likely to remain with the company. The premise of the show, then, is that in order to understand the heart of an often overlooked worker, the undercover boss must become one. He/she must walk in those shoes in order to experience that heart.
If you are like me, it is a concept that resonates clearly. I work for the Postal Service, which is a very large corporation, and I freely confess that not many days go by without some new idea or task being presented to the workers as "This is how we are going to do it now," and when I hear this I often grumble right along with my co-workers. I say something like, "They (those up aboves who sit in offices) have no idea how things work down here." Admittedly, sometimes their ideas work and sometimes they don't, but I would relish the opportunity to have them perform my duties for a while so that they could at least sympathize with my reservations. Don't we all wish people could see through our eyes sometimes? Where we are at in our job becomes far more meaningful when our perspectives and feelings are understood and considered, even if they do not ultimately win the day. It is an act that lets us know that we matter and assures us that someone cares.
Our bosses know more about our jobs than we give them credit for, but we don't give them a pass because they have "head" knowledge. It is "heart" knowledge that wins our approval. I think that is what Undercover Boss is all about.
Some people think that God is distant and remote. We have this image of a being somewhere up in the sky who sees our planet and knows how it works. But we see this being as distant and aloof to how we feel in the mechanical workings of creation. This makes it hard for us to feel important and appreciated.
In Hebrews 4:15-16, we are told that Jesus came to change that. He came to walk in the same world that often walks on us. Being God, he knew how the world operated because he made it, but he wantedd to experience how we felt in it. He did not do this so that he could say, "Been there, done that" or "I was perfect...you be perfect," but instead, he did it so that he could sympathize and comfort us in our trials because he understands how hard life can be sometimes.
So, if you watch a program that shows bosses (who are ultimately about profit margins) submitting themselves to humiliation in order to feel what their employees feel, and you can believe that it is true, then why should it be a stretch to believe that God (whose profit is you) would do the same?
And if you think that no one understands what you are going through, spend a little time talking to God. You might discover that you have more in common than you ever imagined.
"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
There is a program on television called Undercover Boss. Maybe you have seen it. The premise is simple: a CEO or owner (or some other high ranking official) of a business takes a position as a lower level employee while keeping his/her identity hidden. He or she does this with the intention of discovering many things. What is most important to the disguised worker is to gain new insight about ways to make the business more appealing to the public, and to create a work environment which builds employee morale and encourages a positive work ethic. The idea is to make those responsible for the "backbone" of the work feel important and appreciated, so that they will be happy and productive in the performance of their service, and more likely to remain with the company. The premise of the show, then, is that in order to understand the heart of an often overlooked worker, the undercover boss must become one. He/she must walk in those shoes in order to experience that heart.
If you are like me, it is a concept that resonates clearly. I work for the Postal Service, which is a very large corporation, and I freely confess that not many days go by without some new idea or task being presented to the workers as "This is how we are going to do it now," and when I hear this I often grumble right along with my co-workers. I say something like, "They (those up aboves who sit in offices) have no idea how things work down here." Admittedly, sometimes their ideas work and sometimes they don't, but I would relish the opportunity to have them perform my duties for a while so that they could at least sympathize with my reservations. Don't we all wish people could see through our eyes sometimes? Where we are at in our job becomes far more meaningful when our perspectives and feelings are understood and considered, even if they do not ultimately win the day. It is an act that lets us know that we matter and assures us that someone cares.
Our bosses know more about our jobs than we give them credit for, but we don't give them a pass because they have "head" knowledge. It is "heart" knowledge that wins our approval. I think that is what Undercover Boss is all about.
Some people think that God is distant and remote. We have this image of a being somewhere up in the sky who sees our planet and knows how it works. But we see this being as distant and aloof to how we feel in the mechanical workings of creation. This makes it hard for us to feel important and appreciated.
In Hebrews 4:15-16, we are told that Jesus came to change that. He came to walk in the same world that often walks on us. Being God, he knew how the world operated because he made it, but he wantedd to experience how we felt in it. He did not do this so that he could say, "Been there, done that" or "I was perfect...you be perfect," but instead, he did it so that he could sympathize and comfort us in our trials because he understands how hard life can be sometimes.
So, if you watch a program that shows bosses (who are ultimately about profit margins) submitting themselves to humiliation in order to feel what their employees feel, and you can believe that it is true, then why should it be a stretch to believe that God (whose profit is you) would do the same?
And if you think that no one understands what you are going through, spend a little time talking to God. You might discover that you have more in common than you ever imagined.
Just wanted to add that hard times will always come. They can make us stronger. It is so nice to have a God who sits right beside us, knowing how we feel, through those times.
ReplyDeleteYour statements about "heart knowledge" being so much stronger and convincing than "head knowledge" is just so very true. ...and God indeed has that "heart knowledge" of our situatiuon.
ReplyDeleteThanks Dan. I just really want people to grasp the concept that God knows how we feel at all times, and that He is always with us where we are. To believe that we are taking on the world on our own can only result in despair. But knowing that God is with us in the highs and the lows makes me confident and happy.
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