What's In Your Toolbox?
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One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.
He noticed two empty boats….(Luke 5:1-2, NLT)
On Wednesday, a Minneapolis jury convicted former police officer Derrick Chavin for the murder of George Floyd. The nation breathed a sigh of collective relief at the verdict, as many were worried about what might happen if a different decision had been reached. When I first heard that the jury had reached a verdict after only 16 hours of deliberating, I prayed for Mr. Chauvin’s conviction. I told God that I was nervous about the outcome, and the devastating impact on the already fragile mental health of African Americans that would occur if he was acquitted. While I am not celebrating Mr. Chauvin’s conviction, I am grateful that, at least for once, the legal system has worked for those of us with darker skin.
In one post-verdict panel, the news commentator Van Jones suggested that the only difference between Emmett Till and George Floyd (and countless other victims of police brutality and other forms of state sponsored violence against African Americans) was the presence of the 9 minute video taken by Darnella Frazier as the murder of Mr. Floyd unfolded. In fact, scores of people from around the world sent congratulatory messages to Ms. Frazier on social media, thanking her for the contribution she made to advance the cause of justice. The tweet that Oprah sent represents the general sentiment:
Without that phone, and without Ms. Frazier’s courage. it is highly unlikely that Mr. Chauvin would have been convicted. Her decision contains so many lessons. But allow me to extract one for our mutual consideration and improvement.
Darnella used her phone to take pictures and videos of something other than herself. I have joked about this modern proclivity on numerous occasions. Here is a recent example from a recent message I shared:
That video may be funny, but selfishness is no laughing matter. One downside of our fame crazed, social media dominated, technology driven moment is that it has enabled selfishness to thrive. Far too many people only use their phones to take pictures of themselves in exotic locales, or to feature what they are wearing, eating, drinking, or buying. Darnella reminded us that technology is a tool that can be used to advance causes greater than ourselves. As she stood on that corner watching a man’s life being snatched, Darnella had a tool in her hand.
Miracles always begin with what’s already in your toolbox. On one occasion Jesus noticed two empty boats by a lake that weren’t being used by its owners. It seems that Jesus had an eye for underutilized assets. It is clear from the Gospels that he was always finding value in overlooked people, places and things. The boat belonged to two men who had decided to retire for the day after a long, frustrating night of unsuccessful fishing. Jesus asks to use their boats to conduct a lakeside seminar, and then instructs the owners of the boat to go fishing again. They first object, then obey. And using the same boats in the same water with Jesus onboard, they catch so many fish that they retire from fishing LOL.
It was not just Jesus’s presence that made the difference. It was his perspective. Jesus realized that they didn’t need any new boats. Just a different perspective (and perhaps a little motivation) on the boats they already possessed.
Whether it’s a boat, or a phone, amazing results can ensue if we begin to see the true value of what is in our toolbox. God has lent us whatever tools we have to advance something bigger than ourselves.
You have some tools.
Start using them.
To help.
To heal.
And to make whole.