by Br. Gregory-David Jones, O.S.B.
Jesus is identified as the “Lamb of God” by John and his disciples immediately go to the Lord without hesitation. He is not at all disturbed or upset about the idea of his pupils going to a new teacher because he realizes that his part in God’s plan has been fulfilled. John once said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30) as an acknowledgement of the fact that he is not the center of attention, no matter how influential his ministry may have been.
Sometimes we can become too occupied with the role that we play in God’s plan instead of the overall picture. When we minister to someone, we can fall into the trap of the “television episode” mentality in which a need is addressed and the desired outcome either comes immediately or at least by the end of the drama. In reality a person might be out of our lives for an extended period of time and we can be left in the dark about whether or not our words and/or actions had a positive effect. At times this can make us feel discouraged because we do not know if the efforts we put forth are in vain.
John the Baptist baptized hundreds, maybe even thousands of people. He had a band of disciples that learned from him and followed his example. Within a short period of time, all of that was gone, but he remained steadfast because his eyes were not on his own efforts, but in the overall plan of God. Even from his prison cell, he did not ask, “Lord get me out of here.” He was mainly concerned with making sure that he pointed his pupils in the right direction. This is the reality that all followers of Christ have to accept. We are only pointers, not the end-point. Jesus is the one that saves, not us. We have our part to play and we can rest assured that our efforts are not forgotten and the results are completely in the Lord’s hands.
Jesus is identified as the “Lamb of God” by John and his disciples immediately go to the Lord without hesitation. He is not at all disturbed or upset about the idea of his pupils going to a new teacher because he realizes that his part in God’s plan has been fulfilled. John once said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30) as an acknowledgement of the fact that he is not the center of attention, no matter how influential his ministry may have been.
Sometimes we can become too occupied with the role that we play in God’s plan instead of the overall picture. When we minister to someone, we can fall into the trap of the “television episode” mentality in which a need is addressed and the desired outcome either comes immediately or at least by the end of the drama. In reality a person might be out of our lives for an extended period of time and we can be left in the dark about whether or not our words and/or actions had a positive effect. At times this can make us feel discouraged because we do not know if the efforts we put forth are in vain.
John the Baptist baptized hundreds, maybe even thousands of people. He had a band of disciples that learned from him and followed his example. Within a short period of time, all of that was gone, but he remained steadfast because his eyes were not on his own efforts, but in the overall plan of God. Even from his prison cell, he did not ask, “Lord get me out of here.” He was mainly concerned with making sure that he pointed his pupils in the right direction. This is the reality that all followers of Christ have to accept. We are only pointers, not the end-point. Jesus is the one that saves, not us. We have our part to play and we can rest assured that our efforts are not forgotten and the results are completely in the Lord’s hands.