AT FACE VALUE?

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  (Hebrews 11:1)

At least ten years ago, I watched a riveting independent film on one of Boston’s PBS television stations (Boston actually has TWO such stations) late on a Saturday night.  This film had been an award-winner.  I do not remember the title of the film.  I do remember that it was probably shot in the late 1980s or early 1990s, it was black & white, and it was short.  The entire film was only about fifteen or twenty minutes long!

The setting of the film is a Mobil gas station, late at night.  One and only one attendant is on duty.  A young woman pulls her car up to the full serve pump.
The attendant comes out and fills the tank.  His behavior is unusual, and unnerving.  This was long before Mobil started their “Speedpass- pay at the pump” service.  The woman very nervously hands her credit card to this service station guy whose body language gives every indication he may rape her or cut her throat at any moment.  The guy goes into the station office, and is in there a long time.  He comes back to the car to tell the woman there is a problem with her credit card.  It’s just obviously a phony story.  The annoyed and frightened woman tells him there is no problem, to try to put the card through again.  Again, the man is gone a long time, and is seen holding a phone receiver.  He comes back, insistent she come in and, “talk to the lady from the credit card company”.  She refuses.  He will not take no for an answer.  Finally, she says she will agree to this if he goes and stands at the far end of the station lot, as far from the building as possible.  He tries to reassure her, but she’s not buying.  Reluctantly, he stands at the entrance of the station by the Mobil sign.  Terrified, the young lady, exits the car and starts walking toward the gas station office.  Halfway to the office the gas station attendant charges her like a madman and forces her into the office.  She is hysterical.  As a viewer, you feel so sorry for her, wondering if it will be a rape, a murder, a robbery, or a combination of the three.

The guy insists she stop crying and screaming.
“Lady,” he says firmly, “I’ve been trying to tell you there’s a guy laying on the back floor of your car holding an ax!”  
The camera cuts to the maniac laying on the back floor, and that’s the end.

This past week, I received a mass e-mail retelling that story and warning young women to be careful.  Is that story an urban legend, or is it true?  I don’t know, but it does illustrate one of the life mottos of my late maternal grandfather:  “Things are often not what they seem”.  Life has taught me how right he was!

Some folks take people at face value.  I guess THEIR motto is, “What you see is what you get.”  In fact, they take life that way.  Very frankly, “taking things at face value” is not being very discerning and could get you killed!  It also is not walking in faith, for faith is  “...the evidence of things not seen”.

I’ve been a born-again Christian for almost thirty-six years.  In those thirty-six years, I’ve learned (as Isaiah 55:8-9 says) that God’s ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.  There are times he seems like the MEANEST and most unreasonable and demanding God...times it seems like He’s trying to trick you into an awful thing that will harm you...times it seems like He’s trying to make a (frankly) stupid demand of you.

Sound familiar?

Yes, what I’m saying is there are times God’s a lot like that gas station guy.  At face value, He seems SO unreasonable that you want to just “chuck the whole thing” and become and atheist, or at least a Unitarian!  (Sorry to my Unitarian friends, but to Pentecostals and evangelicals reading, that was a very funny line that I couldn’t resist!)  The truth is, God brings some seemingly awful things our way to save us FROM ourselves and from things we would stupidly “walk into” that are a thousand times worse!  I’ve learned that over the years, and I’m still learning it.

Are you disappointed with God today? Frustrated with God?  Mad at God?   I’ve been there many times.  Then, I look back years later and see His hand, His wisdom, and His love.

If you have time, read ALL of Hebrews chapter eleven.  The latter verses talk about people who endured TERRIBLE things like being sawn in half...people who trusted God and their lives “stunk”!  But those people DON’T regret that today.  (One such example would be John the Baptist, but I’ll talk about him in a blog sometime down the road.)  

Nope, if you’re a Christian you certainly should not take life at face value.  If you do, you’ll probably be one confused, disappointed, and even dangerous soul!