Tonight, I enter into the potentially exciting, always challenging and "it will be a miracle if someone doesn't yell at me" world of officiating. To be specific, I'll be watching the lines for the varsity girls' volleyball team, the "extra eyes" of the net official who will be counting on me to see what he cannot clearly see. Sounded like fun when I volunteered (I was wanting to be around the teens more), but I have a feeling it may be more work than I imagined.
"Line watching" may not sound like a very glamorous position, but in reality, it's the kind of person each of us need in our lives. You know...someone who helps us to know when we're "in bounds" and "out of bounds"...or hopefully, giving us the "high sign" when we're getting close to the lines.
Funny how the "expert" line watchers in our lives often come from the most religious of circles: our churches, small groups & Bible studies. Some actually pride themselves on being professional "line watchers," and are quick to point out when we're either headed for trouble or already "out of bounds."
The problem with so many "line watchers" is that it's so very easy to be watching for the wrong things. I found myself at a "practice" line-watching session the other night, intensely focused on the "big things" and suddenly missing the more subtle things (I'm going to have to work on that). I easily spotted the ball way out of bounds, but almost missed entirely the nudge of a toe on the backline by the server as they served.
And I thought, this is so like life! We (or other "line watchers") emphasize the "big" violations, yet so often are almost (or completely) unaware of the "little" things...the unseen things.
You know, Jesus was a "line watcher," but not like you might think. While we can probably come up with a short-list pretty quickly of obvious "line violations," those tended not to be the ones Jesus focused on. No, He focused on the ones that everyone else misses. Not because He's picky, but because He knows which ones matter the most.
I find it interesting that Jesus was surrounded by "line watchers" and yet they absolutely couldn't stand that He was also one. Why? Because the "professionals" of Jesus' day were content to let the "little" ones go by and give all their energy to the "big" ones. Jesus, on the other hand, was very adept at picking out the ones considered "little" - matter of fact, He specialized in them, because He knew that what most of us write off as "little" were indeed the most important, and thus the most dangerous if left untouched.
The "professionals" focused on the "big" ones of actions; Jesus precisely nailed the ones thought "little," i.e. attitudes, motives, and rationales. And in doing so, He spoke to the very heart of not only those aware of their "line violations" but those who were certain that they hadn't any. Ouch!
If you ever dare look a little deeper, you'll find that Jesus had only one "line" to watch (as opposed to the "professionals" who were trying to keep track of hundreds). His one "line"? Love. In every situation with every person at every time, He watched to see if what was being done was motivated by Love. Being the very embodiment of Love (1 John 4:8), He could spot it a mile away. If it layed under any word, thought or action, your "ball" was "in" - if not, your "ball" was always "out" because it had "crossed the line." It was always His only reason for acting & speaking, and thus He was always "in bounds."
Whether I go down in volleyball history as a great "line watcher" or not remains to be seen. But much more importantly, I pray that I will always be a great "line watcher" of first my own heart, and then of those entrusted to me, according to the "line" of Jesus Christ. Sooner or later I'm sure I'll miss a call in volleyball, but may the grace & power of our Lord always keep me "in bounds" and a great "line watcher" on the most important things!
