See It, Be It

 A few years back an educator I had the privilege to work alongside, Mrs. Amy Whaley, was in the running for Tennessee Teacher of the Year. Mrs. Whaley is an amazing educator and in my opinion should have been selected for the TOY award that year. Nevertheless, during her campaign that year, she crafted a tagline, (See It, Be It), to draw attention to the fact that young people can only imagine what they "want to be" when they grow up unless they have first hand knowledge of what career options are out there. This is the foundation of Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs as they allow students to explore, engage, and immerse themselves in related work experiences that represent career fields that are in high demand, high skill, and high wage in our region. Ms. Whaley's campaign centered on the notion that we have to be committed to supporting students in all aspects of their educational journey and assisting them to "see" what might be possible. Otherwise, if they don't see the career options, how can they ever intentionally "be" someone in those career fields. 

The same is true for us in life. For us to live a life of service and commitment to the God of All Creation we need to "see" God. We associate seeing God with being in a church, but it is estimated that well under 40% of Americans attend church at least once a week, making the likelihood of seeing God in a place of worship limited at best. Just as in the career exploration matter above, if as a society we are not "seeing" God in His house of worship, then how is it possible that America will "be" a population of faith filled servants to the one, true, living God? 

Well, to answer my own question, in the vast majority of situations it doesn't just happen by accident. Making the decision to accept God as your personal savior and then following Him and leading others to Christ happens when we live out the life of purpose that God called us to live. As we are living out the life God purposed us to live then others will see God living in us and His work can be accomplished through us. In the case of Christianity and becoming a follower of Christ, it isn't a struggle that is only relevant to our current situation. Even when Jesus was here in human form teaching, modeling, and living out a life of sacrifice and love, some of His closest followers were at times doubters and deniers. In the Gospel of John 20:24-29 Thomas, one of Jesus' own disciples expresses his doubt that Jesus had risen from the grave and states that he would have to see the nail scared hands of Jesus before he would believe. And prior to that Peter actually denied he even knew Jesus in fear of retribution during the arrest of Jesus before the crucifixion (Luke 22:54-62). If men who were traveling and teaching alongside Jesus had trouble believing in God and His omnipotent ability to raise His Son Jesus from the grave, how much more of a challenge is there for men and women to "be" like Jesus if they cannot "see" Jesus? The answer, they can "see" Jesus if we will "be" like Jesus. 

Our responsibility to everyone we meet is to "be" the hands, feet, and heart of Jesus. We help others when they are in need. Our hands lift others up and place them on solid ground. With our feet we move to those in need rather than waiting for them to come to us. And probably as important as anything else, we need to have the heart of Jesus and model His love for our fellow man when they may not even deserve the love we are giving. Our words speak with great volume, but our day to day interactions, choices, and the decisions we make are the true demonstration of allowing people to "see" God living in and through us, thus allowing them to "see" how to "be" like Jesus. 

So, how do we live a life that demonstrates to others how they can "be" like Christ? Good question, easy answer. In John 13:12-15 Jesus told His disciples, "So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I  have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you." We model the teachings of Jesus and the life that He lived while He was here among us. The life of Jesus was the very life and lifestyle Paul adopted after He regained His sight from His encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road. As Paul continued to live and serve Christ, his life became more and more like Christ, "My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Galatians 2:20. Once we submit our lives to Christ it doesn't mean we will never fall short, trust me, I fall short daily. Yet the life I live is no longer mine, when I fall short of God's design for the life He purposed for me, I seek His forgiveness, right my wrong, and learn from it for the next time I encounter any similar situation. We are not perfect like Jesus was, in our imperfections we serve and live out a life in an ever growing relationship with the One that saved us and calls us to be His light to this darkened world. I want to live a life that others can "see" Christ living in me, and thus make the decision to "be" a follower of Christ as well. See It, Be It. 

Coach Carter