Trampled On

“Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you” (Matthew 5:10-12).

Saddened, I stooped down to pick up what was left of the brochure my church had made to pass out at the Pumpkin Festival at a near-by park. Some of the people of our church thought it would be a great idea to share Christ with others on a dark night both physically and spiritually. There were probably between two or three thousand children and adults that passed by our booth with open bags seeking a treat to enjoy later on in the night and weeks to come. The costumes ranged from a little boy dressed as an old man with a cane to numerous Spidermen and Princesses. It was quite a show to observe as we proclaimed Jesus—A fisher of men.

Have you ever seen someone not respect something of great value? A brochure doesn’t seem like much until your name or image is on it. Then, it becomes something you want to protect and have others respect. I noticed there was a trash can about three booths down, full of our brochures and many others. Let’s take this a step further by thinking of the American flag. Have you ever seen someone burning it or letting it drag on the ground? Immediately, the sense of patriotism rises up in your heart and you are ready for action. The brochure’s paper and the flag’s thread are nothing special until they are written upon or interwoven to create an emblem which bears an underlying spirit.

I wonder how God feels about how we have turned life, which is of great value in His sight, into something we do not protect or even respect that well. It must grieve His heart daily to see the way people treat other people, all of whom bear His image. Lives today are literally and metaphorically being thrown into trash cans through physical, verbal and substance abuse. Does anybody seem to care? God does…

His image is on every human being that is alive today. We have all at some point thrown part of our lives away to various sins. We have fallen short of His glory and found ourselves miring in the mud. He could stand to look at us face to face, and He was not able to cover His face with a mask. He came to reveal reality as stated in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” He was hung on an emblem that many wear around their necks. It has been looked down upon, ridiculed, been despised and rejected, yet it is still the emblem on which our Savior died. Three nails, two pieces of wood, thread and a piece of paper have a lot in common, that is, they are just common items we see almost everyday. However, the spirit behind them makes all the difference.

As I walked across the grass and noticed the church brochure that had been trampled under foot, I was compelled to pick it up, dust it off and carry it proudly because of what the church meant to me. The dust and shoe prints couldn’t keep me from bending down and rescuing it from further disgrace. God our Father felt the same way. When Jesus had been beaten, bruised for our iniquities, hung on the cross innocently and buried, God in His justice had to raise Christ from the dead. He has done the same for all who have come to Him through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. What a great hope we have! If you have been mistreated, disrespected, unappreciated, or despised for the name of Christ, you are blessed.