People who know me would probably say that I’m a little off my rocker. One of my favorite movies is Dumber and Dumber, I put money into repairing cars instead of buying new ones, and I like Royal Crown Cola more than Pepsi or Coke.

Colorado Springs

So, it shouldn’t surprise you, then, that I like freshly shoveled driveways and sidewalks. Actually, I enjoy the snowbanks created by shoveling.

Yet, there is a practical side to all this work of shoveling snow: it makes it easier to walk and drive. The snow is an obstacle that is best removed for everyone’s safety.

Paul didn’t want anything to be an obstacle to someone understanding the mercy of God in his Son, Jesus Christ, even if he were that obstacle. He refused to be paid for telling others about Jesus even though he had right to be supported financially.

Maybe the biggest obstacle that keeps people from seeing Jesus in us is our demand for our rights to be honored.

I have the right to be happy. I have the right to say what I want to say. I have the right to…, well, you finish the sentence.

It takes courage and faith to say that I’m choosing not to use my rights so that I don’t put an obstacle in the way of people knowing Jesus. Paul had such courage and faith.

May God gift us with the same courage and faith that we also remove any obstacle to someone seeing Jesus in us.

Copyright Douglas P Brauner