God's Pencil, Our Lines By Pastor Melinda Sparks-Renner

We began a series this past Sunday on the story of Jonah, a series that will take us through the end of August. I am hoping that we all can find some nuggets of hope and meaning through our study together. 

I have this artwork by the Naked Pastor, above my desk at home, that speaks volumes to me. It’s a sketch of different people drawing lines with their pencils - vertical then crossing with horizontal lines - and in the middle of all of the people drawing their lines, you see someone who clearly represents Jesus.  

Jesus is erasing their lines. 

Jonah liked his lines. He loved drawing them, pointing others to them - “See my beautiful lines??!!”, “Aren’t they wonderful?! Aren't they helpful for all of us?!” “Aren’t we the best people on the planet because our lines are the best?!”  Aren’t we the best people on the planet because our pencil maker loves us and only us?!”

Jonah’s lines only used the best of pencils - the most expensive - the lead was crisp and black and the finest that money could buy. His pencils came from the best pencil maker in all of the land, for Pete’s sake. Top notch and practically indestructible. His pencil lines were the darkest and heaviest and no one would miss his lines. They were clear and unmistakable. 

The only problem was Jonah skipped class on the day that pencil maker taught all her students that pencils are meant to be fun! You can draw animals and trees and people with them. You can play tic-tac-toe with them. You can draw really dark lines or barely there lines - it’s your choice! You can even choose a pencil with a different color  - Red! Green! Yellow! Pink! - all the fun!

Unfortunately, Jonah also missed the part where the pencil maker told the students that the pencils are for everyone - not just for people who looked like them. The pencils are also for people who are completely different from them. 

They are for people in all of the places, not just for the people in Jonah’s place. 

And the best part of all about the pencils? They all have erasers. Jonah’s pencil had an eraser too - he just didn’t see it because he focused so much on all of his beautifully drawn lines.

Jonah missed the wideness of the pencil maker’s grace and mercy. Jonah missed the love that the pencil maker had for everyone - including how much the pencil maker loved Jonah. Jonah was missing all the joy to be had by not  using the Red! Green! Yellow! Pink! pencils. 

The worst thing was, he was unaware that the lines didn’t have to be drawn in the first place.  

He never knew. 

Do we?