There is a strong University campus police presence where I live, and while I appreciate the increased security this brings for our neighborhood, I notice, as I take my long walks, that there sometimes is, a police vehicle following me. Normally I just look the policeman straight in the face and smile. I’m not bothered by this a bit. My mindset in this situation is that perhaps, I am a Very Important Person (VIP), and so I’m being offered an added layer of protection. But I sure can understand the frustration, the angst, the anxiety someone else in this situation may feel. The questions may arise, why are they always following me? What is it about me? What have I done wrong?
I wonder if Jesus Christ will still be profiled if he walked the earth today. For in the Bible, Nathaniel was called to come see the Messiah, and he literally profiled Jesus Christ. He said:
… Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? – John 1:46
Literally, he said, can anything good come out of that country or that section of town? Can any good thing come out of Africa, Asia, North America, South America etc? Can any good thing come out of Gary, Indiana or the East side of Indianapolis? Can anything good come out of the black people, the white people, the red people, the purple people, the rainbow people; can anything good come out of the male or female genders? Can anything good come out of Church folks?
Being profiled or underestimated gives you a unique opportunity to do exceedingly well, to exceed every set expectation. What have you to lose? If you fail, nobody expected you to do well any way, nobody expected you to become, so what difference does it make? Yet if you succeed, and you succeed big, you will see jaws dropping. If you are ever so fortunate to be profiled for any reason, be it your race, your gender, or your relationship with Christ. Follow the example of Jesus who did not resent his profiler, but instead used his love, his gift of discernment and his anointing to drop Nathaniel’s jaw in amazement. Nathaniel became an instant believer of the man he had negatively profiled. Go ahead, Hit profilers hard with love, with brilliance, with empathy, with gift, with anointing, with grace, and with understanding. Hit em with every good thing the good Lord has put in you.
