When I was a small child, I had a strong tendency to take things literally.  This led to some confusing (and my parents would say entertaining) moments.  I remember distinctly being in a restaurant when my dad said he “had to go see a man about a dog.” I became very excited (and talkative) asking all kinds of questions about this new pet we might be getting.  Another time, I was riding in the car with my mom and grandmother.  We had a long wait at a stop sign waiting for an opening in traffic, and my grandmother said, “Looks like somebody opened the gate.”  Of course, I wanted to know all about the gate and even to go see the gate.

When I was a little older (and only slightly less gullible), one Sunday morning my mom said we were going to have to miss church.  This was unheard of for our family.  Fearing someone was seriously ill or had died, I asked why.  Mom said that some family members had broken down and were stranded, and we were going to help.  I asked if God would understand, and my mom said that he would, because “our ox was in the ditch.”  I was pretty sure that, if we did in fact own an ox, I would have been asked to feed it or clean up after it at least once.  At least this time, I just asked what she meant.

She shared that it came from the Bible, and she said sometimes emergencies happen, and doing the right thing in that moment is doing the right thing overall.

And Jesus asked them, “Which of you whose son or ox falls into a pit on the Sabbath day will not immediately pull him out?”  – Luke 14:5

That was a great lesson, one worth remembering and sharing today.  Sometimes, we need to focus on SEEing Jesus—to improve ourselves by listening to a sermon or through fellowshipping with others whose lives reflect his…and sometimes we need to BE Jesus to others—by actively carrying out his command to love and serve in His name.  May the Holy Spirit guide us to the proper balance.