We just had a provincial election in Ontario. In the leadup, there was a growing movement of people who simply didn’t like their choices, for one reason or another. For those who planned to vote, polls were consistent – almost evenly split with 1/3 of the vote for each party. One friend asked on Facebook, “Where is the None of the Above option on my ballot?”
There is clearly a lot of indecision, and a lack of conviction about which option people want to take. In the end, many people just voted for their least worst option, and said, “I’ll wait and see how they do.”
There is always a degree of guesswork with these things – we can’t see the future.
Everyone we hire, contract, vote for, marry, or trust in any way is a risk of some kind. We never know 100% who will let us down and who will meet or exceed our expectations. We can do all the research, background checks, dating and talking we want, but it’s usually only once we’ve committed to someone that we really discover who they are, whether they are what we expected.
For example, a huge percentage of Toronto residents took a flyer on Rob Ford just a few years ago. He was an unlikely candidate, like none before, but people clearly gave him a shot. There were some questions about a DUI conviction, his attitude, etc. but also some attractive ideas about cutting spending and taxes. People had their doubts and their hopes about him. I’m sure some said they’d give it a go, and wait and see how he does. We know how that ended. People wondered if he’d be a decent mayor, and now we know.
On the flip side, I recently read an aticle about Ruth Ellen Brosseau, a federal MP who won a Quebec riding despite never having been to the riding or campaigned seriously. The NDP simply signed her up since they had no other candidate in the riding. And yet, recent reports are that she’s excelled! Clearly some Quebecers thought they’d give her a try and see how it went.
How do you decide who to trust? What signs do you look for? When do you have enough information to simply say, “lets wait and see?”
We’re going to read a story from the Bible this week where some ruling authorities in Israel looked at the first Christians with fear and concern, but finally decided to just wait and see what happened. The proof is in the pudding.
I think that’s great news, because there are probably some of you listening right now who have doubts about Jesus, about his followers, or about Christianity.
At what point do you finally see your doubts outweigh your attraction and simply walk away, or better yet, at what point do you finally let your interest outweight your concern, and give Jesus a try so you can just see what happens next?
Question: If you were going to “test out” a relationship with Jesus, what would you be looking to see him prove?
Meeting with a Group? Your discussion questions are in this week’s Group Study Guide
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