I don’t know his name. I wouldn’t recognize his face. Most likely, I won’t see him again this side of Heaven. But I will see him again… won’t I, Lord?
He’s my Brother.
It’s amazing what we can pick up when our ears are “on hold.” When we don’t have sounds to distract us or divert our attention with extraneous, irrelevant data.
One research study asserted that 55% of communication is actually nonverbal body language of one kind or another. Even poets and writers understand this phenomenon.
“What you do speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
I wasn’t really watching the Olympics today. I came into the room and noticed it was on. The sound was turned off. Track and field events don’t need a lot of “color commentary.” The outcome is clear. In this case, it was the men’s 100-meter race with hurdles.
I saw the introduction of the competitors in one heat. That’s when I would have given Emerson a “high five” for his astute observation.
The camera was focused on each athlete as he was introduced to the crowd. Each one had his own special way of responding to his name being called out. Each one filled the camera’s frame in a view that was very up-close-and-personal.
Smiles. Two thumbs up. Friendly waves. Intense looks into the lens. Pointing at those on the other side of that lens. (Like me!) As if conveying to us some special signal of their readiness to run. To WIN.
That’s when I saw my Brother.
As the camera settled on him, he grabbed something that was hanging around his neck. A medal? A charm? His hand obscured it… until after he kissed it and let his hand fall to his side.
Your Cross, Lord!
It was not what I would call an “in your face” gesture. It was almost… second nature. Something he did consciously and subconsciously, all at once. Centering himself on what — Who — was most important… instead of the crowd.
He must have been eager. He bolted off the starting block a fraction of a second too early. A False Start. The race stopped immediately and the runners all returned to their places. But the camera remained focused on him. The whole time.
I had to laugh, Lord. In focusing the world on his mistake, You were focusing the world on Your Cross! There it was, in the center of the camera’s view. Speaking loudly when there were no words being spoken at all.
He didn’t win his heat. In fact, he ran third. So he may (or may not) move forward in the competition. I don’t even remember the country he represented. But that isn’t the most important detail… is it, Lord?
Because his eternal Citizenship is elsewhere.
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
Singing Your praises in The Silence… 🙂
Abba’s Girl