There are those people who draw attention to themselves. And rightly so, for they are often talented and well-spoken and friendly. They are the leaders; the stand-outs. They make things happen, and they are great to have on the team. I want them on my team, and if we were in gym class I would pick them first.
Then there are the others. The “diamonds in the rough.” Not yet defined or refined, but full of God-given ability just the same. But that ability is hidden enough to not be apparently obvious, and subtle enough that it would never draw attention.
However, since when has hidden ever meant not vital? (Think internal organs.) When has unrefined ever been the same as not valuable? (Think crude oil.)
I realized that I hardly ever take the time to really notice people. I struggle to give them the benefit of the doubt. It’s certainly easier to work with known quantities when it comes to people. We don’t want to introduce too many “variables” into the system.
But then there’s Jesus. He was (is) the expert on looking right past the obvious people, and noticing the others. I probably would have chosen the rich, young ruler for my team. What’s not to like about an upstanding, energetic guy with leadership skills and proven success? Jesus has something else in mind: a Kingdom that is built from the bottom up by people who know what it means to be “poor in spirit.”
And if Jesus wanted those guys on his team, maybe we can take another look. Of course, there’s the hard, and often heart-breaking work of discipleship that comes from equipping the called instead of calling the equipped. Not to mention the agenda-busting, life-disrupting work of noticing people in the first place.
But we didn’t become leaders because we were afraid of a little hard work, did we?
It’s time to start noticing people.
PS. Seth Godin has a cool take on this idea.