“There once was a man, his name John, sent by God to
point out the way to the Life-Light. He came to show everyone where to
look, who to believe in.” (John 1:6-8 MSG)
John the Baptist was called by God to be a pointer.
This makes me giggle ;-) It reminds me of a pointer
dog who finds and points out the location of birds to a hunter, or a laser
pointer that speakers use when making presentations. I wonder if John’s career
would be considered a true vocation these days. I looked up ‘pointer’ in the Occupational Outlook Handbook—the
ultimate career information resource put out by the U.S. Bureau of Labor and
Statistics. I couldn’t find any jobs with that title. So I made up my own job
description for a modern day pointer:
A pointer
would have to be alert for God’s presence and be bold enough to appear crazy
to others. The work environment is physically and mentally demanding. A pointer must
be able to live on very little, because median-pay is 0 dollars. Extensive
education and daily studying is required. Future job outlook is less than
average compared to other occupations.
I feel a bit sorry for John. I feel even worse for
his mom! I can imagine people asking John’s mom: “So, what does your son do for
a living?” And his mom would have to answer, “Um…well, John is a pointer. He points out God’s presence in this
world. He lives in the forest, foraging for food. He can’t afford to support a
wife, or kids, or have a home. I just hope he doesn’t get himself killed.
Yeah…I had such high hopes for him. He didn’t really live up to his potential.”
John the Baptist must have been quite the character.
He was willing to sacrifice everything to fulfill his calling, no matter what
anyone else thought. I don’t know what God is calling me to do next. Whatever
it is, I hope I have John’s tenacity and boldness.
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