Articles
Hidden in Plain Sight
Hidden in Plain Sight
Corey Sawyers
"I cannot find my Bible." A statement like that fills the heart of a preacher - or any diligent student of the Bible - with fear. It isn't that we do not have other copies, but the Bible we use is so often filled with notes and reminders that it becomes more than just a Bible, it is a study tool. So, yesterday, when my friend and co-worker Michael Hite made the statement, "I cannot find my Bible," I immediately sprang into action to try to help him. We searched his office, the classrooms, and his car. He called his wife to see if he had left it at home. Much to our disappointment, we could not find it. This morning when I arrived at the office, I began to straighten up my desk before starting my workday. I moved a piece of paper, and there was Michael's Bible! He had left it there while we were studying together and it had accidentally been covered. All the time we had been looking it was right there in front of us.
As followers of Jesus, we realize the importance of reaching out to the lost. We send missionaries to distant states and foreign countries. We do door-knocking campaigns all over the town. We send emails, flyers, and reminders to anyone and everyone. How many times are the lost "hidden in plain sight?" They are right in front of us. Do we see...
...the person who has visited for months but never has been asked to study?
...the friendly waitress at the cafe we eat breakfast at each morning?
...the neighbor we wave to each evening?
...the classmate at school that everyone ignores?
...the co-worker that seems withdrawn?
All of these are people we see daily. Have we told them about Jesus? There are also those even in our church buildings that are, perhaps, "hidden in plain sight." They are struggling in their faith, and are on the brink of walking away from the Lord. Do we see...
...the young person struggling with their faith?
...the widow who thinks the Lord has forsaken them?
...the new convert who is being tempted to go back to their addiction?
...the minister who thinks his ministry his futile?
...the husband who is thinking of stepping out?
...the mother whose child has been shamed?
Evangelism doesn't have to be my sitting across a table from someone having all the answers. It is often just being dedicated to Jesus and loving toward others enough that I tell them the Good News! I need to be willing to tell them, "This is what Jesus has done for me!" (read Mark 1:40-45). However, before we can tell them, we have to see those lost, searching, and hurting souls who have been, for far too long, hidden in plain sight!
