A friend from medical school became a respected pulmonologist in Los Angeles. He and his wife both grew up in Hawaii, and they still love the islands. So I once asked him whether he might move back someday.
“No. I don’t want to go home.”
I was surprised. “Why not?”
“Here, people know me as the doctor who diagnosed botulism and saved a man’s life,” he said. “Back home, I’m just Jerry.”
As a young resident in the emergency room, he had recognized a rare and dangerous illness in a patient whose life depended on getting the diagnosis right. The story traveled through Southern California’s medical training programs. His reputation was well deserved. Yet he feared that the people who had known him longest would see none of it. They would see the boy they remembered.
I understood why that hurt. We all want the people closest to us to recognize who we have become. Sometimes they are the ones least able to see it.
Jesus experienced something far deeper when He returned to His hometown. The people heard Him teach and knew of His mighty works, but they could not get past the familiarity of His face and family. “Is not this the carpenter?” they asked. They took offense at Him.
Jesus said, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.”
Mark 6:4 (ESV)
They knew His history, or thought they did. Their familiarity kept them from receiving the One standing before them. Mark tells us that Jesus marveled at their unbelief. Still, He continued His work beyond Nazareth.
Perhaps you have returned to a family gathering and felt yourself become the awkward child you once were, no matter how much your life has changed. Perhaps you have tried to share your faith with someone who can only remember your past mistakes. That can be painful. Their response, however, does not determine the truth of your message or the worth of the person you have become.
And this story asks something of us as well: Are we so certain we know someone that we no longer listen to them? The people of Nazareth thought they knew Jesus. They missed who He truly was.
When familiar people dismiss you, remember that Jesus understands. Continue to love them. Speak with humility. Leave room for God to work in their hearts—and in yours.
Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.
#faith #trustinggod #christianity #jesuschrist #bible #seekinggodswill #truth #sanctification #godisincontrol #godhearsourprayers #salvation #providenceofGod #Mark6:3-5 #Idon’twanttogohome
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My friend’s words stayed with me: “Back home, I’m just Jerry.” Have you ever felt that people who knew you long ago could no longer see who you had become? Or have you caught yourself doing that to someone else?