I remember being a relatively small kid, such that the teachers used to line me up near the front of the class, though a late and rapid growth spurt in my late teens (and later on, even through Army days) meant that I ended up being fairly tall, but still at the front of the class at assembly. I notice the same is happening with my son - he's past 18, and has just recently sprouted up even more!
Being tall has a couple of advantages. It makes me handy as the resident light bulb changer and ceiling fan cleaner for one thing (though I hope to handover to my son soon!). The other thing of course, is that I get to see over crowds, which has been helpful at various stages of my life, like peeking over the tops of other parents' heads to spot my kids when picking them up from school, and conversely being extra visible to my kids when they need to find me in a crowd :)
But just yesterday at church, I happened to sit behind a really tall guy. He must have been 6 1/2 feet tall or more, and broad shouldered to go along with it! It suddenly became clear to me what an inconvenience it must be for people to sit behind me! I'd always been semi-conscious of this, and often try to slouch in my seat at concerts and things like that, so that I don't block the people behind me. But wow. This guy was truly massive.
But even as the worship went on, and the tall guy blotted out the stage, I heard God speak to my heart on three things.
First - life is often like that. It puts a tall guy in front of you. You can't see anything, you're trying to peek around him, but you're hemmed in on the sides as well, so it all gets a bit frustrating.
Could be a problem at work, with a boss, with career development, or a work (or school) problem where we can't see the way forward. Could be a complicated relationship with a family member, whether parent or child, where communication doesn't seem to be working, or agreement is hard to come by. Could be a health issue, where the doctors have no solutions, and it's cramping our quality of life or putting fear in our hearts.
All these problems are like tall guys in front of us, blocking our view. I could get frustrated with the tall guy, complain that I can't see anything, sit down and grumble, or even give up entirely and go home. Those are possible courses of action.
But even if there is a tall guy in front of me, and I can't see the stage and the worship, it's still there. Just because I can't see it, doesn't mean it's disappeared. I can still hear the music. I can still see the people beside me worshipping. All the evidence shows that God is still right there in front of me. He hasn't abandoned me at all.
At some point, the tall guy will sit down, or go home, and hey - God will be there, just as He was all along. However tall the problem is, I know that God is still in front of me. So what do I do? I will just keep trusting, just keep singing!
Second - what about the perspective of the people behind me? My daughter was sitting with her friends in the same service, several rows behind me. She laughed when I told her about the tall guy when we got home. She said, she saw the guy too and wondered how I would be able to see anything :D
But if the people around me can see that even with a tall guy in front me, I can still worship, and I can still sing and rejoice, then maybe one day when they are standing behind the tall guy, they'll remember that they can too.
My colleagues often ask me - how do you keep a smile on your face when things go wrong? How do you find the time and inclination to happily serve at church, at bread distribution or overseas missions? Hey it's not easy, there are tall guys in front me. The same tall guys in front of you. Work frustrations and conflicts, family needs and dynamics, health issues - everyone faces these tall guys, and they frustrate me too.
But if others see that we can still rejoice with these tall guys in front of us, then they can too. So I'm gonna choose to rejoice, choose to sing - it's my joyful honour and duty to be an encouragement to those around me. As the apostle Paul wrote, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." Philippians 4:4-5
Third and finally - what about the perspective of the people on stage? They can't see me. I'm hidden behind the tall guy! They have no idea I'm even there. What do I do? Jump around and to the sides, and hope they can still see me?
Allow me a brief illustrative digression. Back in the 1st century, John the Baptist had a successful ministry. He had a large number of followers, and was so well known that even King Herod knew who he was and was jealous of him. But when John was asked about what he thought about Jesus, who had just started His own ministry, John answered, "The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater, I must become less." John 3:29-30
That's how I want to be as well. That whoever looks in my direction, won't see me, or even a tall guy. They will only see The Tall Guy. They will only see all His goodness, all His love, all His joy. They will only see Him going ahead of me, so that I only need to follow in His wake, singing and dancing all the way!
Have a wonderful Sunday, and a joyful week ahead, singing and dancing all the way through it. Even if tall guys block your view, know that Jesus, the Real Tall Guy, is still in front of you, making a way through the wilderness, straightening your path through hill and valley, and even carrying you when you tire :)
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