There is a story told about the United States Marines in World War II who found themselves seeking refuge in a very old abandoned church, which had been bombed, but was a respite for the weary soldiers, especially as the weather worsened. Once inside the church, the soldiers felt a sense of peace, as well as a feeling of safety.
As the soldiers explored the ruins inside of the church, they became aware of a great amount of severely damaged or totally destroyed memorabilia from the small church. As they further explored the ruins, they discovered a statue of Jesus that appeared to have been spared of the bombing however, with further study it was missing both hands and feet.
To everyone’s surprise, immediately behind the statue was a scrap of cardboard that someone had inscribed: YOU + I ARE THE HANDS AND FEET OF JESUS CHRIST…WHAT WILL YOU DO TO SPREAD THE KINGDOM OF GOD TO ALL THE WORLD?
It appeared that as each marine passed the statue and read the inscription they appeared, at that moment, to be alone in The presence of God in his historical church with a group of serious minded and purpose, driven individuals with a personal request similar to a great inventor who will work Tirelessly for weeks seeking to unlock the cylinder of mechanical knowledge or a great composer, like Beethoven beginning to write the first notes of his ninth symphony or his Ode to Joy, or Mozart as he arrived at his greatest lifetime achievement in creating The Magic Flute, or perhaps Handel’s unlocking his giftedness which allowed him to create and complete the Messiah in just 23 days….perhaps the greatest piece of music of all time…. Creating our pathway that leads to eternity as we chant forever the Hallelujah Chorus!
One becomes cognizant of the numerous ways one can be asked to spread the Kingdom of God to all. There may be a unified mandate, or even a mantra which is an unlimited template for each of us to inscribe one’s unique contribution, perhaps the most important call/responsibility in one’s life.
I believe most of us would suspect that the vast majority of individuals who might read this little story, would quickly conclude that this story requesting a personal response was not written to them personally but probably someone else. I would suspect that if any of us were in the heat of battle, at this moment in a fox hole in a very scary, distant country where our life is truly at stake as we see death all around us.
Perhaps in this type of conflict, we immediately take it completely personal as we bluntly and dramatically share with our buddy next to us “God is asking both you and I, at this moment in time, perhaps one of the last moments in our lives, what am I going to do to change the world?
All of a sudden, this becomes one of the most significant questions which we must personally provide the answer to our creator of the universe. This is a very critical question, perhaps the most important question of all time and we are expected to be honest in our words, coupled with truthfulness in our behavior, often called responsibility, coupled with complete authenticity, regardless of our fear, so that we grasp for the courage deep in our resolve and perseverance, to fully profess our deep personal commitment, ON OUR WATCH, to remain forever faithful to our personal call to service in successfully spreading the Kingdom of God to ALL…what will you do to spread the Kingdom of God to all the world?
Will YOU become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ?
To speak with Dr. Tim Lynch, PhD., you can call him at 615-504-4357, or email him at tdlynch@bellsouth.net If you want to know more about Dr. Tim check out Psychology Today Practice Directory, or his web: www.thelynchgroup.net
—Dr. Tim Lynch, PhD
