The Boxer
There must be a reason that I am awake at 2:40 in the morning with the lyrics of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Boxer" running through my head on a seemingly endless loop.
Maybe I'm reverting back to my teenage self. Simon and Garfunkel primarily sang together in the late 60's. But their songs still linger in my mind for they are a part of the soundtrack of my younger self. "The Sound of Silence." "Mrs. Robinson." "Bridge over Troubled Waters." Maybe that soundtrack has queued itself up and started to play.
Maybe it is because the 60's had the greatest music of all time.
Maybe I heard it in an elevator.
Who knows?
The thing is this--it seems more and more in my life that if I ask "who knows?" the answer is that God does. So maybe, just maybe, those lyrics are stuck in my head for a reason.
Actually, it is not the whole song that is stuck in my mind.
It is one line.
"Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."
It reminds me of all the things I have heard and seen over the past couple of years as God has gradually opened my eyes and ears to the poor among us.
He has pressed hard upon my heart. Time and time again.
And I can't unsee what I've seen and I can't unhear what I have heard.
As I sit in front of the fire in my snug house on this cold winter's night, I worry about those who are sleeping in cars and under bridges and in houses and apartments that have no heat.
But that worry is just not enough.
At least not to God.
Maybe I'm reverting back to my teenage self. Simon and Garfunkel primarily sang together in the late 60's. But their songs still linger in my mind for they are a part of the soundtrack of my younger self. "The Sound of Silence." "Mrs. Robinson." "Bridge over Troubled Waters." Maybe that soundtrack has queued itself up and started to play.
Maybe it is because the 60's had the greatest music of all time.
Maybe I heard it in an elevator.
Who knows?
The thing is this--it seems more and more in my life that if I ask "who knows?" the answer is that God does. So maybe, just maybe, those lyrics are stuck in my head for a reason.
Actually, it is not the whole song that is stuck in my mind.
It is one line.
"Still a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest."
It reminds me of all the things I have heard and seen over the past couple of years as God has gradually opened my eyes and ears to the poor among us.
He has pressed hard upon my heart. Time and time again.
And I can't unsee what I've seen and I can't unhear what I have heard.
As I sit in front of the fire in my snug house on this cold winter's night, I worry about those who are sleeping in cars and under bridges and in houses and apartments that have no heat.
But that worry is just not enough.
At least not to God.
"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" Matthew 25:35-40
I like those words. They are words that I want to hear. If only Jesus had stopped right there.
"For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
I like those words. They are words that I want to hear. If only Jesus had stopped right there.
"For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:42-46.
My life would be much simpler if I could only disregard the rest.
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