If you had the power to be invisible, how would you use it? What would you do?
Give yourself a moment to come up with an answer before you continue reading….
Got it?
Determine a real answer for what you would do.
….OK?
Alright.
Character is exemplified by what you do when no one is looking. What does your answer say about your character?
I asked my woodshop students this question at school yesterday. I heard the same kind of answers all day long (All 7 class periods). They would:
1.) Steal things.
2.) Go to concerts, games, amusement parks, or flights without tickets.
3.) Stalk celebrities or watch them inappropriately.
4.) Listen in on private conversations from their friends.
My students had fun with the question and laughed about how cool it’d be to have that power. For the first few classes, I laughed and had fun with them too. However, as the day went on, I began to realize that no one seemed to be thinking in generous ways. No one seemed to care about the needs of others or about doing the right thing. No one wanted to hide from the bad guys and be a hero. I mean… How great would it be to secretly deliver a gift to someone and then watch their reaction?
In their answers, the power of invisibility was simply a license to get away with selfish behaviors. I’ll ask the same question again. “What does this say about our character?” Who are we when no one is looking?
In the Scriptures, (Mark 12:42-43) we read about an little old lady who gave a small amount of money to God’s people, but it was everything she had. She was invisible and her gift was invisible, but it was this action (what she did quietly behind the scenes) for which Jesus commended her.
Who are you in the quiet? When no one is looking? Are you giving or selfish?
