He Chose Us

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When I began to learn how to fly-fish I would go to the fly fishing show. Experts and professionals are there to offer tips and advice. When I arrived at the show I went to see my friend who had a table where he was selling his flies and materials.  As soon as he saw me he asked if I would watch the table so he could take a break. So there I was, sitting behind this table, and a couple of guys stopped in front of the table. They started looking at all the things for sale on the table and they pointed at a fly that had a lot of tinsel. In fact, it looked like a Christmas tree ornament. As they were looking, I said to them, “Let me level with you, I am not a professional. I am a beginner and the worst fly fisherman you will ever meet. In fact, you guys could out-fish me any day, but even I can catch a fish with this fly. I don’t know what it is— the gold, its flash. Fish love this fly.” One of the fishermen asked me if I knew how to tie one up.  I said, “Yes, I’ll show you.”  The guy answered, “Can you wait for a second? I want to get someone.” When my friend came back from his break there was a crowd of people around his table buying his stuff. He continued, “Where did everyone come from.”  I replied, “I told them if I could catch fish with this fly then anyone could.” People were buying his supplies, not because I was a professional, but rather I was not an expert. They listened to me because I had a message.

I say this because Christ told us that He chose us. What exactly does it mean to be chosen by God? Precisely because we are not experts or professionals. We are chosen because we have an important message. We can tell people what Christ has done for us.

I used to have very thick hair. In fact, I was the barbers’ nightmare. One day after work I went for a haircut. Naturally, my hair was full of plaster dust, wood chips, and pieces of metal from a day of construction. I went to work. When I sat down, I apologized to the woman who was about to cut my hair. “Sorry about my hair; I just got out of work.”  “No problem,” she assured me, “I will just use my junky scissors.”  After the cut, we went to the cash register. In those days, a haircut cost five dollars so I took out my wallet and gave her a five-dollar bill. Then I got out another five dollars for her tip. So every time I went to the barbershop, she would say,“It’s so nice to see you, Mr. Grover. Come take a seat over here.” Well, on one occasion, my regular barber was out and there was a guy instead. I sat down and he combed out my hair before getting started. I could tell he was not happy. I said to him, “Sorry about the hair, I just got out of work. You can use your junky scissors.” He replied, “I don’t have junky scissors.” He never said a word the entire time. When he was done, I gave him his pay plus my usual tip.

Two months later I went back to the barbershop. This time both the woman and the guy were there and available. Not only did they both want to cut my hair, but they were fighting over me. So it is possible to be flawed and still liked by others. Christ does not call us because we are perfect. He calls us because we are flawed and have experienced God and his kindness. We have an important message to offer others who will be happy to experience what we know and love about Christ.