I spent my first year in college working at a local restaurant. I liked it, but it was not the place you would expect celebrities to frequent. So, when the coach of the local NHL hockey team walked in one day, everyone was a little surprised. And I was the worst.
“Look! It’s Darryl Sutter!” I squealed, giddily running back and forth behind the counter, desperate to serve him. When an order for chili appeared on the screen, I exploded into a flurry of activity, packing up his meal in record time. His order sat, perfectly arranged in a take-out bag, awaiting his arrival. Reaching the counter, he opened his mouth to speak. Oh sweet mercy, I thought, he is going to say something to me!
“I’m sorry; I actually ordered that to stay.” I snatched the bag off the counter, stuttering my apologies and spilling chili everywhere in my attempt to correct the mistake. He suppressed a smile and thanked me, finding a table in the far corner to eat.
When he finished his meal, he got up to leave, but I mustered every ounce of courage and blurted, “Mr. Sutter sir, c-could I g-get your a-autograph p-please?” I hastily thrust a take-out bag in his face.
“Sure, do you have a pen?”
Panic tugged at my stomach. My eyes darted around the room, finding nothing. Sweat poured from my brow as I sheepishly excused myself to kitchen.
“EVERYBODY STOP!” I screamed, “FOR THE LOVE OF ALL YOU HOLD SACRED AND DEAR TO YOUR HEARTS, I NEED A PEN!” Thankfully I got my pen and I got my autograph, but that was the last time Sutter darkened our doors!
It’s funny how crazy we get around celebrities. In reality, there is not a whole lot that separates us from them. Many celebrities are actually pretty ordinary folks, whose lives are just lived in the spotlight. And yet we often treat them like royalty.
So how do I approach Jesus?
I would never dream of being disrespectful in the presence of an earthly monarch, yet I find myself casually entering the presence of the King of the Universe. I often act in a way that tarnishes His name, lack reverence in church and casually toss my Bible into the back seat of my car as I drive home.
I don’t believe we should dress in a three piece suit and mind our posture every second of the day! But perhaps God deserves at least the amount of respect we offer each other. Sadly, I too often treat worship and prayer as a casual encounter with someone of equal or lesser prominence. However, there is no other person who has paid such a horrific price to set me free, and that is deserving of the utmost veneration.
“How much worse punishment, do you think one will deserve who has trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace?” Hebrews 10:29
Mike Blackaby is 25 years old and is the college and young adult pastor at First Baptist Church in Jonesboro, GA. Mike loves to play music, loves to snowboard, play hockey, and cheers for the Colorado Avalanche. He is terrified of spiders, but loves reading fantasy novels, watching movies, taking road trips, building camp fires, and will do any roller coaster if someone goes with him. You can contact him via Facebook.