Have you had an opportunity to recognize who someone is and fail to do so? Have you had a brush with someone famous? Have you driven past someone you know and not recognized them? Have you interacted with someone and not known who they were until long after?
There are times when we brush against someone famous. There may be times when we speak with someone famous but not know it. We may have a once in a lifetime opportunity to interact one on one with a famous person. For whatever reason, we don’t take it.
My wife and I were walking through the airport in St. Louis after getting our baggage late one night. As we were walking to catch the bus to the parking lot to get our vehicle, my wife poked me and asked if I saw him. I asked, “who?” She said, “David Freese.” For those that don’t know, David Freese was the hero for the Cardinals in the 2011 post season. This was a few years later when he was playing for the Pirates. Being from St. Louis, and the Pirates having an off day before playing the Cardinals, he came to town a day early. No, we didn’t go talk to him.
The people of the first century missed seeing the new Elijah or didn’t properly identify him. John the Baptist was identified as the Elijah that would come before the Messiah by Jesus. The disciples saw him. In fact, a couple of them had followed him. And yet, they didn’t realize who he was. Too often we see what we want to see…and nothing more.
I pray we all are observant of the people around us. I pray we recognize when we brush with someone of great faith. I pray each one of us will be better because we learn from them. Be observant. Open your eyes. See people of great faith. Learn from them. Be better for it.
Matthew 17:11-12 He replied, “Elijah is indeed coming and will restore all things, but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but they did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man is about to suffer at their hands.”
Marty Pressey 