DeShawn took a deep breath. He knew this situation was messed up. He had been waiting for others closer to Mr. Johnson to speak up. And a few had already gone to him. But it seemed like Mr. Johnson didn't budge an inch. DeShawn was so surprised! He had always known him to be a kind man. A man who took his faith seriously and seemed to have a close relationship with God. But since the district had passed over Mr. Johnson for the superintendent job for reasons unknown, things had been off. DeShawn took another deep breath and began the two hundred foot walk from homeroom to his principal's office.
As he looked down at the worn tile floors of Mount Moriah High School, his mind flashed back to a few years earlier in middle school youth group. Mr. Robinson always had something encouraging to say. DeShawn smiled to himself remembering the glint in Mr. Robinson's eyes and the kindness on his face as the slim, gray-haired grandfather came each week with an activity to help connect the Bible to what was going on in the lives of DeShawn and his friends. He recalled how each week Mr. Robinson would conclude the time by quoting 1 Timothy 4:12, "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." And how he truly believed in DeShawn and the others and encouraged them with a hope rooted in the person of Jesus Christ.
Sure, DeShawn was only a senior in high school and Mr. Johnson was three times his age. But recalling Paul's encouragement to Timothy to not shrink back just because he is young, DeShawn took heart that he had a posture of respect and love for his principal. So mustering the courage, he opened the door to the front office and was greeted by Mr. Johnson himself. "Hi DeShawn, what brings you to my office this afternoon?"
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In the latter chapters of Job we are introduced to another friend named Elihu. He is a younger man than Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar and so he waits for them to share first out of respect for his elders. His response exalts who God is, it addresses these three friends, and it shows Job the error in his thinking. Elihu focuses on God's greatness and his being just. The claim of a mere man to be without sin in the presence of the magnificent almighty is not something Elihu can just sit idly by during. So, with respect and with candor, this young man spoke up and exhorted his suffering friend towards the truth, towards the great God Almighty!
What about you and me? What are the things in our life that we tend to say to ourselves, "One day". One day I'll make that change. One day I'll speak up for the injustice I see. One day I'll be more equipped and I'll make an impact. But so often this sort of thinking leads us to inaction and the days and years roll by and "One day" never happens. Like Elihu and like DeShawn, let us not allow age or experience to be barriers to doing the good God has for us today. But, may we take a deep breath, muster the courage the Spirit provides, and move forward declaring, "How great is God—beyond our understanding!" (Job 36:26a)
