The Gift of Choice -
During the
intermission for a Bela Fleck and the Flecktones concert at Chautauqua Park
Barn in Boulder, Colorado, I approached a concert security personnel who had an
intricate tattoo with an inscription. I was too intrigued not to ask about it. Gabriel
was his name and he told me he lost his uncle, a cousin, and a best friend all within
a few weeks. The tattoo was a memorial for these men.
For the last
several months, I have been sculpting small disks of clay and stamping them
with various, biblical messages or symbols on them. After firing them in a
kiln, I will hand these so-called “stones” out to family and friends. My latest
batch at the time was a thought exercise on the revolutionary things in our
lives. There are three types of stones: on one side, I stamped “Love”, “Hope”,
or “Jesus”, and the other side on all three is “Changes Everything”. I brought these
stones to the concert and, for the first time, thought to give this stranger a
choice. “If you want, pick one, two, or all three to keep” I offered. Gabriel
chose “Hope”.
Making my way
around the Barn I felt thirsty. Before the show began, I had run to my truck to
pick up bottled water for Maury, my friend, and myself. It was a hot summer
night and we quickly ran out of water. I
saw a line for iced, bottled water toward the right of the stage and got in
line. Almost immediately I struck a conversation with Lisa, the person ahead of
me, about the concert and how amazing this band performed. Then I noticed there
was a sign on the table – CASH ONLY. “Shoot!”
I said out loud because I only had a credit card. Surprisingly, Lisa offered to
pay, and so I asked if she would accept a gift as a thank you. I dug in my
pocket and brought out the remaining “Love” and “Jesus” stones. “Pick one or
both of these to keep.” Lisa chose “Love”.
After returning to my seat, water in hand, I told this story to Maury. I
dropped the Jesus stone in his hand and said that’s the one they did not choose.
Choice Reveals Where I am
Since that
concert, I’ve begun carrying and offering these stones, these choices, to
individuals I meet during my activities and it’s consistent. No one chooses
Jesus and their choice is not exclusive, they can choose one, two, or all
three. I’ve stopped making Jesus stones because
Hope and Love are overwhelmingly in demand. Please do not misunderstand me, I
do not judge anyone for not picking up the Jesus stone when I offer it. On the
contrary, I know with every choice there is meaning, a background, and a story
to tell. Every person I encounter is precious and known by God. I hand-make each
one of these stones and with every stone I sculpt, I pray over the person who
will eventually receive it. I pray that if they do not know Jesus that they
will choose Him one day when the choice is offered again. I pray for those who
have already accepted Jesus into their hearts, that they continue to choose
Him. Whether we are being offered justification before belief or sanctification
after believing, we always have the choice of Jesus.
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