It was a feel-good article titled The Mystery Man At Miller Park.
Brief summary: a mom thanked an anonymous young man who went out of his way to make her son feel special during a Milwaukee Brewers baseball game. The article included this blessing:
When my wiped-out children were tucked into bed last night, I took a few minutes to thank God for you. I asked that He bless you and draw near to you wherever you were. I prayed that the Lord would encourage you and honor your kindness by bringing joy to your heart.
The story itself was a nice, heartwarming reminder of the impact we can make with simple acts of kindness. Then I scanned the comments.
Isn’t god lovely, ignoring the vast suffering in the world to focus solely on you? I mean, who cares about sex trafficking when there’s a baseball game in progress and a kid wants a ball.
Ignoring the snarky cynicism, the comment got me thinking about God and how we tend to put Him in a box. Ever thought, “God’s got more important things to do than listen to my petty problems”? I have.
We’re putting God in a box.
God doesn’t have a limited amount of attention. He doesn’t have to choose between you or me or the kid at the baseball game or human trafficking. He’s omnipresent—everywhere, all at once. I don’t know how that works, because He’s God and I’m not.
God’s not ignoring anyone else to focus on you. He’s focused on everyone, and everything, and He’s not in a hurry. And if that seems impossible, I think you’re starting to get it. It IS impossible—for us.
One form of idolatry is making a god from what you can explain and quantify. I suspect we all do that to some extent. It makes things more comfortable.
That first commandment was about a lot more than golden calves.
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