Does Anybody Hear Her?

Yes, it's another music inspired post. Like the first one, this one deals with a Casting Crowns song. Before I give the link, I would like everyone to watch it, even if you have heard the song or seen the video before. When you do, I want you to be thinking about the following points:


1) Do I know of anyone who fits the description of the woman in the video? It doesn't have to be a physical description, just similar behaviors. 


2) What are my reactions toward these behaviors? For example: Do you feel sorry for this person? Are you disgusted? Do you wonder why they do these things? Do you hate this person?


Now, with those thoughts in mind, watch the official video: Casting Crowns: Does Anybody Hear Her?  


Casting Crowns is one of my favorite bands (I go back and forth between them and Third Day for who has the number one spot). A great deal of the Christian bands out there paint a picture of a perfect relationship between you and God. While this is good, and that music needs to be out there, Casting Crowns goes further by pointing out that there are people out there searching for something greater than themselves, and the people that have this knowledge already aren't always very good about showing it.


True confessions time. I am one of these Christians that aren't very good about spreading the gospel. Sure I take time out of my schedule to write these blogs every week, but I have a feeling that the people who read them are very similar to me. To demonstrate, I will answer the questions I have posed.


1) Do I know of anyone who fits the description of the woman in the video? Absolutely. In fact, I know of more than one person. People fighting addictions, people who have addictions who have stopped fighting. People who have been left behind by someone along in their lives and try to fill the void with things like alcohol, sex, and drugs.


2) What are my reactions towards these behaviors? For the most part I am disgusted. I look at these behaviors and think to myself "What are they doing to themselves! Can't they see that they are ruining their lives! Are they so blind that they can't see that they are taking others down with them!


I am a Christian. Like every other Christian, I am not perfect. I have practiced what I preached and have tried to share what I know with them. But I get so much tunnel vision that I expect for them to have some Aha! moment where they turn from what they are doing and follow Christ, and when they don't I get frustrated and give up. That's when I go into critical mode. I've been told in the past that if I don't have anything nice to say, to say nothing at all. So I give up even trying to talk to these people.


I've learned something from this video, and would like to pass this on to you. Christians do a lot of stupid things in the name of spreading the gospel. One of the things we do is leave little cards and comic books on tables, under windshield wipers, or thrown on the ground in the hopes that someone will pick them up, read them, and then fall on their knees and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. While it may happen this way, I have yet to meet anyone who found God from a comic book they found laying on the ground in a grocery store. 


Another thing we do is form groups and isolate ourselves to just people in that group. It's sometimes a church small group that got the wrong idea. For those that don't have a lot of experience with small groups, I'll explain. Sometimes a congregation will form little clubs called small groups with the idea that people with like interests (the over 60 group, the single women group, the men's group, etc.) will meet outside of church for a Bible study, coffee, a baseball game, whatever. There are two ideas for these groups: The first is that it brings people within a congregation together, which is good. The second idea is that it may be easier for someone who doesn't know God to attend a men's group than make the leap into attending church every Sunday. Also good.


I's like to say that I am in favor of the small groups, however, we often forget about that second part. What happens sometimes is that the small group becomes the only group worth worrying about. We've got the right amount that the pastor says we need for our small group, so we're done trying to get more people. If the isolation gets bad enough, all these small groups will stick together in the worship service, not even talking with the people outside of their small group. 


What we need to do as Christians is to quit isolating ourselves. It will be uncomfortable at times, but just imagine the alternative. I'm not telling you to shove the gospel down people's throats, because all that does is make them choke. The things that should be done are:


1) Pray: Ask God to give you the words to speak and the strength to speak them, as well as the knowledge of when to speak them.

2) Live a Christian life publicly and privately. Your private life affects your public life, and vice versa. Make sure God is at the center in both circumstances.


3) Talk to people. It doesn't have to be about anything specific. If you don't know when to start talking about Jesus, the opportunity will arise when you least expect it, and the words will come to you. Especially if you follow step one.


Amen.