Most everybody knows of the Rocky movies. Sylvester Stallone plays an unheralded boxer that finally gets his shot at the champion. By the fourth movie, they’ve become somewhat of a self-parody. Somewhere between winning the Oscar and becoming an unintentional cliché, it lost something…with only some witty Mr. T trash talking to make Rocky 3 worth watching – yeah, Hulk Hogan was in that one. The whole cold war parallel in Rocky 4 wasn’t even really believable. I mean, c’mon, Ivan Drago? But I digress. My point is that at the end of the fourth movie, Rocky has beaten the big, bad Russian boxer…avenged the death of his good friend Apollo Creed…and the Russians are even chanting his name. Rocky grabs the microphone and instead of “Yo, Adrienne, I did it!” we get a cheesy message of change. “I guess what I’m trying to say is that if I can change, and you can change, everybody can change!” You almost expect him to yell, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Except that it’s not even that inspiring…personally, I blame it on poor writing. Sorry, I’m digressing again (speaking of poor writing). I’m not doing movie reviews here, I’m doing devotionals.
But there’s a truth in that corny speech. If Rocky can change, and the Russian audience can change, then everybody can change. I mean the Grinch changed when his heart grew however many sizes that day, and even Donkey Kong went from being the meanie that chucked barrels at Mario (back when he was just “Jumpman”) to being a pop-culture icon and beloved Nintendo character. So why is it that in our minds, other people can never change? I’m a better person than I was in high school. I like to think that I’m a better person than I was just a year ago. So why is it that when I see some people, that “something I have against them” is the first thing I think of? Why is it that I’m the only one allowed to change? Why is it that I assume that a person that made a comment 10 years ago is still the same rude person? Why is it that I assume that a person that has made one mistake that nearly cost them everything won’t change because of that mistake? I mean, I’m not talking about X-Men mutation-type changes with wings or mind-powers here…just a simple little change in behavior. So why is it that I think that I can change and become a better person, but those other people will always be the sorry so-and-so people that they always were? Granted, some always will be, but everybody can change….even if we think they can’t.
That’s was Jonah’s thinking, by the way. You ask most people what they remember about Jonah, and they’ll tell you about some sailors and a boat and a fish and the millionaire and his wife…the movie star – oh wait, wrong story. But, seriously, the story of Jonah isn’t about a fish and running away. Well, it IS but the larger point of Jonah is his selfish thinking that God should only love him and HIS people. Those Ninevites? Those Ninevians? Let’s just call them “those folks in Nineveh” could never change according to Jonah’s thinking. And when they did, he got mad because God dared to share His love with them.
And there’s the parallel in Jonah and me. Jonah tried to run. Jonah thought that he shouldn’t have to go and didn’t want to go. Then Jonah learned that God’s Will would be done…and Jonah changed, and submitted his will to God’s Will. You know, like we do when we work towards growing the seven fruits of the spirit in our lives. And we’re trying to be Holy, and live righteous lives. But deep in our hearts (just like Jonah), we think those other people can’t change…they just can’t! Or simply WON’T…Because they’re just bad people. And they’ve done this and this and this and that and this other, so they can’t change! And while saying that I’m changing myself, I’m still judging others as incapable of change…or incapable of being changed by God. Wow – there’s a statement! Because when we shortchange others of their ability to become better people, we’re insulting the power and the love of God to work in their lives (like I say He’s working in mine) to make them better people (like I say He’s making me).
Listen for the Whisper that sounds like Rocky shouting into a microphone in a Russian arena. If Peter can change after denying Jesus three times, and Paul can change after persecuting and killing Christians, and you can change from whatever you were when Jesus blinded you on your own personal road to Damascus…then everybody can change. Jonah’s not about a fish. Jonah’s about arrogant and prideful Christians. You know how you were when God changed you, and I know how I was when God changed me, so why do we act like God can’t change other people that same way?
Or even worse still, have we not shared the Gospel with certain people, because we’ve decided that they’d never change? I have – and I was wrong to do it. But then again, that was back before I’d really changed…and I wonder how many of those opportunities are lost to never be found again? And will I be held accountable for those lost chances? Will there be a timeline at the Pearly Gates showing my “born on date” when I was baptized and assumed the responsibility of living for Christ – but didn’t really? Will St. Peter being standing next to one of those “mall maps” with a pointer pointing to a mark on a timeline saying “you were here”? But, see, I was still holding onto that part of the world that I didn’t want to let go of…and so when those certain people merged into my life for that brief time before going their separate paths in life, I was in no position to share anything with them except a couple of dirty jokes. And then will there be a point years down the timeline…a “you finally got it, you lunk head” spot on the timeline with a long list of names of lost people as arrows point to certain times along the timeline between those two points? I certainly hope not, and by grace a multitude of sins will be covered. And I hope that those people were able to find Jesus themselves…found a way to a door that I should have opened but never did. “oh, they won’t be interested in what’s back there behind this door…so why bother even showing it to them, much less opening the door?”
So yeah, Listen for the Whisper that says Everybody can change. It’ll be the whisper that’s also telling you to quit judging people as being worth the gospel or not…and then telling you to quit wasting your chances to share it with them.
~Dwayne
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