The Smooth Surface of Wrong Things

Dan's note:
This is a continuing thought from the last entry.

As a young man I blew through more than my fair share of cars. And as a person who grew up and graduated High School in the 70's, I was a freak about muscle cars in particular. With rare exception, if the car was between 69 and 72 I was in love.

Camaro's, Chevelle's, Mustangs, SuperBea's to GTO's - man what a time to for fast! However, my all time favorite car to this day - hands down, is the 55 Chevy. Properly restored and with the right equipment it's a head turner for most anyone.

When you have the privilege of actually standing beside a restored master piece like a muscle car, you'll be drawn to the attention the owner has given to meticulous detail. Of course there is one thing that will capture your attention above all else - the finish.

Bending down just enough to look from front to back and with your hand running ever so slowly across the surface as though your finger tips have eyes, you'll pay careful attention to how perfect the surface is. Of course the smoother the surface, the more impressed you are.

The smoother and perfect the surface is, the less distracted you are. Simply put, the owner of the vehicle has not given you any reason to be distracted or disturbed in what he's given you to observe.

However - if there is one single blemish, one ding, even the tiniest of flaws, your eyes will focus without effort to the spot on the surface that has interrupted smooth. Your appreciation diminished, the memory of the imperfection is well noted.

When I first encountered Bob (not his name) his state ID said he was 27, while everything else about him looked more like 50. He had the familiar smell of the street; the paradox of freshness associated with the great outdoors blended with the pungent aroma of bad decisions.

Bob had the behavior of a well groomed salesman, his clear intent was to relieve me of the burden associated with carrying about an unused dollar.

You've met Bob, he's a lot like the Bob's in your life experience. To me, encountering Bob is just like observing the smooth unblemished surface of a finely restored car.

Bob has the smooth surface of wrong things.

Unchecked poverty. Unchecked illiteracy. Unchecked recidivism. Unchecked homelessness. Unchecked health issues. Unchecked addiction. Unchecked brokenness. Unchecked Family disintegration. Unchecked disenfranchisement of Parents.

Most of these unchecked and nearly pandemic issues have not even a single blemish - they are unchecked! Just like the smooth surface of the finish of a car, without a blemish there is no real reason for anyone to pay attention - no reason to be distracted.

If you think the wrong thing going on with Bob is the blemish - human behavior and the associated historical reality is against you. If the wrong things going on in Bob's life were viewed as a blemish we would pay attention. Our eyes would focus on the blemish. We would roll up our sleeves and as though our fingertips had eyes we would do something about it.

His blemish would be the only thing we would think about and it would be well noted. But my brothers and sisters Bob is not well noted - not by too many of us.

His surface is smooth. The smooth surface of wrong things has conditioned him to capitalize on not really being noticed. His smooth unchecked, without blemish and not a single dent surface allows him to go unnoticed to the point of relative freedom to ask perfect strangers for the imperfect gift of a dollar.

Here's today's question: 'Have I made a dent today in someones smooth surface of wrong things?'

When you step into someones life, you are leaving a blemish, a mark, a dent. That dent will be noticed by others who will add their dent and soon the reality of their life will no longer go unnoticed by even them - which is the point.

Making a dent,
Dan


From last week; "What did He mean:
What did Jesus mean when He said 'the poor you will have with you always?' He was and is mocking you. Jesus did not come to abolish, but to fulfill the law. According to the law, it was a shame to allow there to be poverty at all. His statement in question form to Judas could easily have been; 'Why are there poor among you to begin with Judas?'