My daughter Abigail is writing a tall tale for school, and she has created a character named Chloe, a niblet that's the size of a pinecone and lives in the walls of a television studio. Chloe feels insignificant because she's small, and nobody knows that she exists, and so she strategizes a plan to go "on-the-air" in the middle of the night, with her family and friends, to put on a talent show. Finally, the world will know that niblets exist and that they are amazing.
Abigail's story deals with an ingredient that exists within the human disposition; the desire to be noticed, to feel significant, and to make a difference.
This past week my family and the Sween’s (our close friends) journeyed from Seattle to Redding and then on to Hollywood to capture conversations, not with niblets, but with real-life cultural influencers. It went incredibly well, and I know people are going to enjoy them. However, these conversations began to create new discussions within my heart, regarding the incredible, talented, and influential niblets that live in my walls. What about all the incredible stories, potential, and power that exist but haven't been revealed yet?
The very first thing that Jesus did is he discovered his twelve niblets. These were twelve men that before Jesus was not known or celebrated, and today, in some traditions, they are worshiped. These guys went from being niblets to world changers, not because they were talented, but because they were willing to drop everything and follow Jesus. They were no longer niblets, they were now sons!!
In the Kingdom, there are no niblets. Jesus eradicated the human caste system of importance, and this creates a significant philosophical conversation that is past due within the Church. It also requires us to ask some big questions; questions like, "How has the world's celebrity culture penetrated the Church's philosophy for how we celebrate people?"
Jesus did not target the world's influencers to influence the world. He had eyes to see invisible people, and he invested his time, revelation, and authority to see them transform from self-seeking outsiders to Christ-commissioned deputies.
If we are in Christ, then our aim cannot be to "get discovered." Being in Christ is the evidence that you already are discovered. Our ambition cannot be to achieve celebration by our works because we already are celebrated by Heaven, because of the finished work of Christ Jesus. If we are in Christ, but our programming is no different than that of the world, we will invest all of our time, energy, and resources into self-celebration schemes.
Jesus didn't use his cell phone to take selfies; he used his phone to take pictures of others. He so loved the world that he devoted the majority of his bandwidth to reveal the character and nature of His father to those who had no clue.
How can we create cultures where people who feel like outsiders get to receive the celebration of their adoption as an insider? How can we create cultures where those who feel like orphans get to receive the celebration of a son? How can we create cultures where we do not idolize the idols that the culture worships? How can we walk in greatness while not allowing others to worship us?
What do you think?
Hit me up in the comments below.
Blessings!!
Darren