Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
Hebrews 13:17
When I look back at my life, one of the things that I know for sure is that God has a great sense of humor. Or maybe I should call it irony. How do I know this? If you were to look at me in my teens and then hear the words that I was a lifeguard, you’d fall off your chair with laughter.
Yes, it’s true. I was a lifeguard. But it gets even funnier. Not only was I a lifeguard, but I worked at a country club. But not just any country club. Oh no, that wouldn’t be funny enough. I worked for three summers at the most exclusive and expensive country club in the Baltimore area. This is the country club where the wedding reception was held for the Vice President’s daughter.
Thinking back to those glorious lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer[1] as a teenager, being a lifeguard was beyond my wildest dreams. It meant getting up and driving to work every morning. Following a daily routine and listening to my first boss. Getting my first steady paycheck. And for a teenage boy, what could be better than eating anything at the snack bar for free.
But not everything was great. But not everything was perfect. First of all, I worked every weekend. And even though I rubbed shoulders with the richest and most elite leaders in the area, there was a definite feeling that the lifeguards and other employees were just that. And then there was the daily sunburn ritual of turning red enough to make any steamed lobster jealous.
Yes, as with any job, there were pluses and minuses. Pros and cons. Good and bad. But of all the things that I did during those three summers, there was one thing that I did more than anything else. More than hand scrubbing the tile. More than washing down the pool deck. More than putting chlorine in the water.
The one thing I did more than anything else was watching. Yep. That’s it. Watching took up more of my time than anything else. I wasn’t reading a book and then looking up every so often to see if someone was on the bottom of the pool. Not on your life.
Lifeguard kind of watching is different than watching television or your phone where you can pause or even go back. As a lifeguard, I was actively and constantly watching. Looking for trouble before it began. Warning people that their actions were going to get them in trouble. Possibly hurting themselves or others.
Of all the things that a lifeguard does, there’s one that’s the top priority over everything else. The most important reason that you even have a lifeguard is to save lives. Being a lifeguard means hours and hours of watching so that when someone gets in trouble, you instantly spring into action. And the goal is very simple – to save a life.
This is the same kind of watching that the Hebrew leaders had done in the past. And they were still doing this kind of watching each and every day. Looking this way and that. Left and right. Watching what was going on in the neighborhoods. How the culture and government were impacting their lives.
When they kept watch, it wasn’t for fun. It wasn’t for a paycheck. It’s not to complete some list of things so they can put a checkmark in a box. It wasn’t to impress people or for some spiritual promotion. They did it to save lives. It was as simple as that.
Our problem with watching is that we think it’s almost a waste of time. After all, when you’re watching, you’re really not accomplishing anything. You’re not doing something. You’re not producing something to sell or use. We think of watching as something that’s not active. It’s not work.
But this kind of watching is more work than you can imagine. You’re using all your senses to see, hear, and feel what’s going on. You’re on the edge of your seat, trying to anticipate what could happen and how you’re going to meet the challenge. How you’re going to protect and defend people.
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
John 10:11
Yes, the good shepherd does a lot of things for his sheep. But most of their time is spent watching. Looking after their sheep that are defenseless. Their sheep that are just too dense to know or see the trouble they are headed into. Or to see the dangerous enemy that’s headed their way.
Do you know that Jesus is watching you? Do you believe that he’s focused on your wellbeing? Protecting you from danger and tragedy? We seem to only believe this when something big happens. But his personal promise is that he’s keeping watch over you. It doesn’t matter if you’re walking towards or away from him[2]. He’s the great watcher of heaven, and he’s watching over you and me right now.
Noodling Questions
What’s three of the great confusing things from your life?
When God just tells you to watch, why do we want to do more?
How is Jesus watching us the most assuring truth in the world?
[2] Psalm 121:8
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