35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”
“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.
42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
-Luke 18:35-42 NIV
There’s acceptable behaviors in social settings, and then there’s the socially awkward. Most of us try to play it safe in public, and try not to make a scene. We shy away from embarrassing situations because we are hardwired in our brains to avoid appearing strange amongst our peers. We try to read the room, reel it in, and at all costs, live by rule: don’t make it weird.
The blind beggar in Luke 18, didn’t seem to get the memo. Or maybe He was so desperate for His life to change that He decided playing by the rules was a sure way to lose. He made it weird and uncomfortable for the crowd because getting His miracle mattered more to him than keeping man’s approval.
We can learn a thing or two from the blind beggar. It’s a good thing he didn’t listen to the crowd. Maybe, it’s time we stop letting the crowd silence us and we start getting a bit louder.
In life, the crowd may inform us of Jesus, but it certainly won’t lead us to intimacy with Him. If we keep letting the status-quo stifle our expression of faith, we won’t experience the life-changing healing and wholeness that comes from encountering Jesus.
Today, get loud. Cry out to God for what you need. Don’t back down just because others don’t understand your zeal or passion for Jesus. Don’t play it safe. Make it a little weird for the people around you. They may be telling you to calm down now; but chances are they will be the same ones praising God when they see how He moves in your life.
*This devotional is taken from my time of Bible-reading and reflection using the Seek First Journal. Want to develop the life-changing habit of reading your BIble and praying every day? Or are you looking to create more intentional space to get away from all the noise and hear God speaking to you? Learn more about the Seek First Journal and buy yours here.