When our minds get in the way of our heart - 1 Timothy 2:3-4 with a story of a 108-year-old farmer

SCRIPTURE: 1 Timothy 2:3-4 (NIV)
This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

A STORY:
Cynthia Stacey, a nurse practitioner with the Veterans Administration Hospital Based Home Care, Gainesville, FL, shared the following story: One of our nurses was sort of exploring how well one of our homebound fellows is maintaining his mental status during a current hospitalization. She asked: “Mr. James, how old are you?” “108” (he is!) “Does it take 108 years to get close to the Lord?” “No.” “How long does it take?” “When you make up your mind.” Mr. James is an African-American farmer who was born and raised where he still lives, just north of Ocala, FL. Not an educated man, just a smart one.

AN OBSERVATION:
Recently I had an interesting encounter with the son of a woman I was visiting in the hospital. As we stood in the hallway of the hospital he gently stated that his belief system was different than mine. Upon asking him about his belief system he shared, “I believe in the United States of America and everything that it stands for and that is all I need.” Period, end of discussion … at least at this point.

There was a little more revelation during my second visit. He grew up in a small community that had over 14 churches. It was a very religious community, but what he saw happening really turned him away from the “religious, churchy folk.” He shared: “They would say one thing on Sunday morning, but would behave totally different come Monday morning. Besides, when I went away to fight in Viet Nam those church people didn’t support my efforts nor did they welcome me back home when I returned. It was tough.” He went on to state: “I’m a retired Marine. We learn to walk the walk. Hold true to what you believe in and don’t give in. Unfortunately, except for a few Christians, like my mother, brothers and sister, I haven’t met a whole lot of Christians who walk the walk.”

“To come to a knowledge of the truth” is a long journey for some. This gentleman has great compassion, a good heart, a caring spirit, a gentle soul … it is just his mind that is kind of twisted up in a ball of doubt and frustration. His mind is standing in the way of following what his heart already knows. And so it is with most of us. If we would but follow our heart we would be making up our minds about the relationship immediately.

Maybe it is a control issue. Maybe it is the failure of those who claim a relationship, but twisted the truth through their lack of a faithful witness. Maybe it is a lifetime of experiences. Maybe it is a wide range of possibilities. Maybe my “hospital guy” will never come to a point of entering into a relationship with Jesus Christ, but the seeds have been planted by his mother and father, and have been and will continue to be watered by his 3 siblings and chance encounters such as mine.

The VA nurses question: “How long does it take?” is different for all of us. Sooner the better, it just makes life’s journey a lot easier. But for some, the minefield that they have to wade through is huge and very difficult. Rest assured that God knows the path that has brought my “hospital guy” and each of us to the point at which we stand. He understands and he knows our heart … deeper than we will ever discover about ourselves. In that there is salvation and there is hope.

PRAYER:
Stand close to all of us God and gently guide us to the truth. You promised that you will never leave us and for that we are thankful. There are some, like the gentleman at the hospital, that just need a little more understanding and compassion. May all the come to meet him and others just like him, touch his spirit and influence his thinking a little at a time. May there be a moment in his future, as well as ours, when it the barriers that we have created come tumbling down by the overwhelming love of your presence; in the name of compassion himself, Jesus Christ. Amen.