On His Right

Three weeks ago I attended a high school commencement of a former student. The commencement exercises were held at the Colorado Convention Center to accomodate the 200+ graduates and their family and friends. I took the light rail downtown, got off at my stop and found the graduate's family.

The commencement speeches, honors, and remarks were somewhat interesting, but I've been to other graduations so there was nothing highly unusual.

Then came the time to hand out diplomas. Student after student went up on the platform to receive their diploma and congratulations from the assembled dignitaries. About the only excitement was one young man who fell down the stairs after receiving his diploma. But he immediately sprang back up and raised his hands in triumph--he had survived both high school and his fall!

I thought they were finished (I was having trouble following all the names being read) when students began to appear from off the side of the stage. But these weren't simply regular students, they were special students. There was a boy who was autistic, there were two young ladies in wheelchairs, there was a young man who was blind, and there were others who were deaf.

As I watched these young people go across the stage to accept their diplomas something began to dawn on me. All the applause and hooting and hollering that had been done for previous students could not hold a candle to the ovations these special young people were receiving. In a culture that far too often only gives recognition to the best, the brightest, and the most beautiful, my heart was truly touched by the outpouring of support given to these special students by their families, their friends, and their classmates.

On my way home on the light rail I sat across from a teacher who went to that school every day to help a deaf young man with his studies. That young man was now headed to a very prestigious school in New York to study animation.

As I reflected on this experience I thought of Jesus' words in Matthew 25 to those who He welcomes into His kingdom for the kindnesses they did to those in need, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."

How often is my ministry motivated simply by meeting a need rather than what political points can be gained by being nice to the correct people? How often is my ministry done in obscurity instead of where people will take notice? How often do I minister to those who cannot possibly do anything for me in return as opposed to doing ministry in hopes that they will do something for me in return?

Jesus puts it very simply in Matthew 25: We will either be found "left" out, or we will be found having done the "right" thing for the "right" reasons. Let's live to be on His right.