Have you ever encountered a circumstance where you looked at someone else’s work and wondered, “What were they thinking when they did this?”
Maybe it happens when you are doing a home remodel project. You uncover a problem where the previous repairman made an interesting decision, which causes you to wonder what they were thinking. The other day, I knew I had created one of those moments for somebody in the future to investigate my doing. So, in case they ask you, let me explain.
I was on the back porch listening to a sermon while enjoying the soft, soothing sound of the light rain. (I love a good rainstorm!) However, the drainpipe to my left was making an awful and loud noise. The water collected from the roof cascaded directly on the bottom of the metal instead of running down the inside, causing a deafening sound. I could not stand it; I had to do something about it. After several attempts, I placed a sponge in the bottom of the drain, held in place by a rock, so that the sponge would muffle the cascading sound. This worked beautifully; it did not impede the water flow while also dampening the sound; all was well in the world.
I started to chuckle to myself, thinking about the day someone would be cleaning out the drain and wondering who stuck a sponge up the downspout drain. It would make no sense to them, but it made perfect sense to me. This must be how the first-century believers felt when Jesus said, “And I, when I am lifted up (on the cross) from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” We often forget that in Jesus’s time, the cross was not a symbol of religion but of crime, associated with only the vilest of offenders. He would take that symbol of punishment for the vilest (us as sinners) and turn it into a symbol of freedom, forgiveness, and hope.
Sometimes, we will never know what someone was thinking when they did what they did, but let us remember the clear purposes of Christ coming to earth, living a perfect life, and laying his life down on the cross for the forgiveness of sin. Have you ever understood what he did for you on the cross? What are you doing to help others understand what He did? You can leave a legacy by giving a portion of your estate to a gospel-advancing ministry. At the Missouri Baptist Foundation, we can help you make an impact for generations.