SPIRIT PEOPLE
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are
children of God. -Romans 8: 14
Maurice Cheeks, the big, tough coach of the NBA
Portland Trailblazers and former star player for the Philadelphia 76ers, doesn't
look like a guy you'd easily turn to for some tender loving care. But recently
he gave a powerful lesson in compassion. Prior to a playoff game between the
Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks, 13-year-old Natalie Gilbert stood before more
than 20,000 people gathered at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, and began
singing the National Anthem. Shortly after beginning, Natalie froze. She just
stood there as the music continued.
Maurice, all 61 7" of him, walked over to Natalie, put his arm around her and
began singing. He used his other arm to wave the crowd to join in, which they
did. Soon Natalie found her voice again, and sang her heart out. It was a rare
moment in the otherwise not-too- compassionate world of professional sports.
I don't know what motivated this giant of a man.
But I do know that what he did is an expression of what true manhood is all
about. It is an expression of true humanity. While it might not be a
common action for many people in our society, especially men, it can be a common
action for us, for it is an expression of divine love. As the apostle Paul tells
us, we are adopted children of God, and as such, heirs of God, and joint heirs
with Christ. Which means we can live life as Jesus lived life, as God created us
to live life, because we are Spirit People. We are people who are led by the
Spirit of God and through that Spirit have been adopted into the family of God.
As such, actions like those of Maurice Cheeks are possible for each one of us.
Too often in the church we are fearful of the Holy
Spirit. God's Spirit, like the wind, is unpredictable and uncontrollable. We are
not real sure what this Holy Spirit is all about.
Often our chatter about it latches on to the unusual; the exceptional, the
wildly flamboyant.
We tend to limit the visitation of the Spirit to special, effervescent spiritual
experiences.
Like talking in tongues, or rapturous moments of
insight. By doing this, we often miss the important, normal, loving activity of
the Spirit in our lives. Yes, the Holy Spirit does work in flamboyant,
spectacular ways, but the majority of the Spirit's work is done quietly. The
Holy Spirit is our Counselor, our Helper, our Enabler. The Spirit is that holy
Friend who unobtrusively works in us and through us day by day, among the many
basic activities of life.
As I see
it, the Holy Spirit is graciously and unobtrusively busy allover the place. The
quiet Helper, the unpretentious
Friend. The Helper is quietly at work in the sincere concern of a friend for our
health; in those who take a stand against injustice; in the grace of folk who go
the second mile; in the inner resources we discover in times of crisis; in those
who dare to go against the tide of popular opinion; in the grace that enables us
to admit when we are wrong; in the resilience of people who fight for the rights
of others; in those who surrender some of their rights for the larger good; in
times when we share the Gospel in spite of our inadequacy; in finding joy in
unexpected places; in taking on responsibilities that we once thought beyond us;
in giving thanks always, event through the hard times of life; in rising above
past failures and putting past hurts behind us; in finding a central core of
peace in the midst of turmoil; in daring to laugh in situations where some would
curse; in knowing ourselves to be children of God; in knowing ourselves loved,
even when we have been very unlovable. And that is just the edge of the Spirit
story.
When God's Holy Spirit gets hold of us it turns our
priorities upside down; it sweeps away the hatred and prejudice that so many of
us harbor deep within; it gives us a new world view and a new way of thinking
about things politically, economically, and socially; it renews our personal
faith and kindles a greater sense of urgency within us to heed the message of
the gospel.
When God's Holy Spirit gets hold of us, it leads us to do things like build
Habitat for Humanity houses on our weekends off; teach Vacation Bible School
with one of our precious vacation weeks; it leads us to work with special needs
children in an after school tutoring program; it leads us to evaluate all the
possessions we have and consider which ones we don't really need, but which
someone else, a Farmworker or some other poor person, might benefit from more
than we do.
How does the Spirit of God do this?
Sometimes in dramatic ways, but more often slowly, through a growth
process just like our physical growth. When Jesus tells Nicodemus that you must
be born again he is suggesting that we must literally begin all over again, be
given a second birth, a second chance. The one who is born again doesn't all of
a sudden turn into a super-Christian. To be born again is to enter afresh into
the process of spiritual growth. It is to wipe the slate clean. I t is to cancel
your old mortgage and refinance. In other words, you don't have to be always
what you have now become.
In truth, it is really quite simple what the Spirit
does in us. It prods us and leads us to more deeply and more fully love. When
the Spirit is leading us to live with the attitude of love for everyone around
us, amazing things take place. On year while in college, George and a buddy took
summer jobs working on a Nebraska cattle ranch. The foreman was a big man who
all of the hands thought was a real jerk: He didn't take to George or his buddy
because they were college kids. He always gave them the worst and dirtiest
chores. One day he pulled George aside and told he was taking him out to tighten
several hundred bolts on a new 70-foot windmill. It meant he was to climb to the
top and work his way down securing the bolts that held the windmill together. A
couple of the regular hands told him this was a terrible, and, if the wind was
blowing, dangerous job. Although only 19 at the time, George had the basic
understanding that each of us, including the boss, was, in reality, a beloved
child of God. On the long drive across the plains to the windmill site, he
silently began to love this man. He mentally appreciated the good qualities he'd
seen in him; his strength and energy, his authority and organization skills.
He just didn't dwell on his negatives, and he felt
at peace. Suddenly, the foreman asked George about the college he was attending
and what he wanted to do after school. Without really thinking about it he said
he thought he wanted to be a cowboy. This really cracked up the foreman. .He
became very friendly. The original plan was he would leave George to do the
dirty work and pick him up later in the day. However, when they got to the
windmill site he said, "Let's get this over with." He handed George a wrench,
took one himself, and together they climbed to the top and began securing the
bolts. ;, . The wind was blowing and the tower was swaying; but they chatted and
laughed all the way down. The foreman was pleasant to George the remainder of
the summer. No, George didn't become a cowboy, but that lesson in love, of what
can happen when we put our arms around our fellow human beings, even in a
metaphorical sort of way, stayed with George ever since. It really is that
simple when we allow the Spirit to transform our attitudes and our thinking.
For Carol, it was an attitude of perfectionism.
Everything had to be perfect. Her perfect life was filled with homemaking,
committee work and a never-ending to-do list. Immaculately organized, the home
she shared with her husband and kids was lovely- but, impossible to relax in.
All Carol wanted was to be appreciated. All she accomplished was a hectic
lifestyle that no one understood.
She cleaned house ever day except weekends. Everything had to be spotless,
thoroughly organized and planned. Carol tried to control every detail of every
situation.
One evening, at a dinner party she had spent four
days preparing for, where all the details were Martha Stewart perfect, she
realized everyone was having fun, except her. She was just plain tense,
wondering if she was perfect enough to "belong."
So what did she do? She took her unhappiness, her
fears about being acceptable enough, to God in prayer. Slowly, over time, the
more she opened herself to God, the more she shared about her fears and her
anxieties, slowly God began to show he! a new attitude. The Spirit guided her
through her Bible reading to learn that human beings were created in the image
and likeness of God. She came to understand that in terms of a "reflection" and
it slowly dawned on her that a reflection is not a cause, but an effect. In
other words, she came to see that as an image, a reflection, of God, she did not
have to achieve perfection - she could express perfection, for God was already
perfect. This was a wonderfully freeing insight. It began a real transformation
in her attitude and her life. She began to give more time to her family, instead
of more cleaning or organizing. She spent more fun and laughing times with her children. As a
result, they became more fun to be with -or maybe, she realized, she was more
fun to be with! The dusting got done as did everything else, just not as often
nor with such tenseness. Slowly, over the years, her life has become more calm
as she has come to realize that perfection is a given, not something she has to
achieve. It was the Spirit of God, through her prayers, that worked this
transformation, this new birth, in her. The greatest gift of the Spirit is love.
Love: the Jesus kind of love. Never forget, not for one second, that the most
Spirit filled person of all time was Jesus. Where love is, miracles happen: most
quietly, some spectacularly, all Spirit inspired.