A week or so ago someone shared a great article by Jason Soroski called "Just Drop the Blanket: The Moment You Never Noticed in a Charlie Brown Christmas." It caused me to ponder how God used Linus to impact not only the auditorium in a make believe world, but for so many of us in the real world as well.
How can it be that a dysfunctional young kid like Linus with all of his phobias and anxiety can so eloquently captivate millions of people, generation after generation, across all the lines that divide us? What made him qualified to do that? Why him at all? Certainly Lucy or Sally would have done it better right?
Linus was at the right place, at the right time, and simply decided to make himself available to be used by God. He was willing to share what he knew on a public stage at the risk of looking and sounding stupid, for a reason and purpose bigger than his own fears and anxieties. There's a profound humility that Linus exudes even though he's monologuing center stage in the brilliance of a spotlight. As we watch and listen, there isn't the slightest hint that's he's performing, or any motive other than to serve the need of his friend Charlie Brown to understand. He's so humble in doing it we don't even get the sense he's attempting to glorify God or point people to Jesus! He's just willing to share out of love.
It also strikes me that after delivering a mic-dropping worthy performance on the audience, Linus just walks off the stage, not worrying about whether the audience liked it, or gauging the loudness and length of the applause (there was none). Not the slightest care if he even did a good job. He just did it with what I perceived as "God confidence". He did what he could do, and left the outcome and results to God.
I pray that in this Christmas season, God will awaken the Linus in all of us. That we would come to deeper understand, beyond knowledge, the reason for our hope (1 Peter 3:15), and be able to share that hope as gently and reverently as Linus shared the meaning of Christmas.
I pray for our leaders, shepherds, and pastors, that they may through God's grace and power, rediscover their inner Linus.
Each one of us has people in our lives every day like Charlie Brown, that are frustrated, angry, lost, heart broken, seeking meaning, purpose, answers, hope. May we become increasingly aware and open to the notion that God's wanting to use us, probably when we least expect it, especially when we don't want to, in all of our weakness and brokenness, to be His voice, His storyteller, for His glory.
God willing many people will have the opportunity to know and share their story through the ministry next year thanks to the generosity and prayers of so many people. God is preparing people's hearts for us to serve, perhaps yours! We abide and wait to serve those He calls upon and choose to obey.
Thank you to everyone who has walked with, encouraged, supported, inspired, prayed for, and allowed us to serve them through The 3:15 Project. We have been abundantly blessed in so many ways and so expectant as to what God has in store in 2017. As we turn our eyes, minds, and hearts on the birth of the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, may He draw us ever closer to experiencing and sharing the fullness and depth of His love, peace, joy, and hope.
Merry Christmas,
Todd
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