Several ‘guardlings’, as I affectionately call my color guard girls, said to me the other day – “You have no idea.”
But I think I do have an idea. Maybe.
I remember being shoulder tapped by Cathy Umlauf as a sophomore in high school, asking if I would be interested in trying out for Drum Major. At this point in my life, I felt gawky, awkward, unnoticed, insignificant, stupid. Me? I looked at her to be sure she was looking at me. She invested countless hours her senior year, training me for the job and encouraging me in my confidence. Eventually, I wound up Drum Major for the Marching Illini and now have coached color guard for 8 years giving to these girls what was given to me.
Cathy had no idea.
There was a knock on my Florida Apartment door shortly after Tom and I moved to Boynton Beach, Fl. A visitor from the church stopped by to share the gospel. I knew all the answers, and was indignant that Elizabeth would presume I was going to hell. How dare she! And yet, she smiled lovingly through the intimidating strength of my insecurities that I presented to her. About 6 months later, Jesus and I met. For 18 months after that Elizabeth Mitchell nurtured me in the faith and became my spiritual mom. And now, Jesus is all I have, all I need and all I give.
Elizabeth had no idea.
When we step into relationships we have no idea what might happen. That’s not for us to know. What is for us to know is that God calls us to invest our heart, our head and our hands into the lives of others. Some of us feel more comfortable with a single dimension of that (heart, head or hands), but the times in my life that have been truly ‘you have no idea’ times, are when someone has given (either for just a moment or for a longer period of time) all of themselves to all of me.
If I give you only my heart, I will give you compassion, but no instruction.
If I give you only my head, I will provide great instruction but with no understanding.
If I give you only my hands, I will provide you with service, but without true equipping.
But, if I give you my heart, head and hands – I show you love, teach you love and point you back to Love Himself.
Who in your life has ‘no idea’?