The power of a “Blockbuster” card….
A few weeks back Tammy and I were flying home from GA, we had made an early arrival at the airport to return our rental car (you know its early when the rental car agency isn’t open yet!). After making our way through ticketing we approached security, I grabbed my tickets and reached for my wallet as we approached the security check. That is when I discovered I had lost my Drivers License! Panic time…we were on a tight schedule to get home for our daughters science fair event and here I was handing Tammy the car keys and telling her to go ahead.
After I had emptied my bags looking for my license I decided to plead my case to the security agents. I knew what was coming..”Do you have any other picture ID”…answer NO… I have credit cards, I have a check book. At this point they call over the Supervisor who reviews my credit cards, check book and clearly is looking for more. I wanted to start telling him all the reasons I could not be a terrorist but thought better of it (good thought!). Finally he asked me if I had anything else…I scrounged my brief case and found….a Blockbuster Video card. I knew it was lame…Blockbuster is lame (Go Redbox) and makes an even ‘lamer’ ID. He laughed and looked at me (checking me for me criminal content) and then said OK you can fly! Phew relief! Blockbuster got me through. I owe that supervisor big time!
Was I groveling, begging, pleading…yep’ – you bet. Every once in a while we realize we don’t have a right to demand anything and it is humbling.
When Jesus calls us to serve him it is always humbling, there is this moment when we try to pull our proof of our identity, our ability and we realize we have nothing – the best we can offer is our weakness…our Blockbuster Card. The best part is when Jesus looks at our weakness and calls us anyway. He is not calling us because of our strength or identity but because in our emptiness he as the chance to be seen.
