Growing up in church I would always hear stories about Jesus. “Jesus did this” and “Jesus did that”. Jesus was born in a manger. Jesus made wine out of water. Jesus fed 5,000 folk with a fish and two loaves. Jesus was so bad that He healed somebody … not who He touched but who touched Him! All of the miracles and stories of Jesus’ ministry happened in a period of less than five years. Then we hear of His crucifixion. Theologians and scientists seem to both agree that Jesus died in His early thirties … 33 has been the number that I have heard most consistently. Well here is my question … what the heck happened to Jesus after the manger but before the ministry? What about the teenage years? Did He ever mess up? Did He and His “boys” ever “cameljack” anybody? Did He even have any “boys”? Did He ever step out of bounds? Or was He always aware of His divinity? Though we know how the story ends, we don’t know the whole story because of the gaps in the story.

What? What’s that you say? Too much Jesus for my Jewish brothers? Okay let’s look at Moses.

In the first ten verses of the second chapter of Exodus, we see Moses as a baby set in a basket and sailing down the Nile to safety. Verse eleven begins, “One day, after Moses had grown up …” What?!? Grown up?!? Did he ever mess up? Did he and his “boys” ever “cameljack” anybody? Did he even have any “boys”? Did he ever step out of bounds? Unlike Jesus, Moses’ story lets us in on the fact that he was a little frightened by his divinity at first … he had to grow into it.  Though we know how the story ends, we don’t know the whole story because of the gaps in the story.

And so it is with our lives, no one person knows our whole story. Let me bring it up to date and make it real to ya …

When we send in our resume along with our application seeking employment, we ought to be aware that there are folk in every HR department trained to detect gaps in our employment history. Should we be lucky enough to be called for an interview, we should also expect to be questioned about the gaps for the gaps hold information about us that cannot otherwise be found in the process.

For my young folk who may be lucky enough not to have to work try this one on … it’s 2pm … you call your significant other and tell them that you are walking out of your house on your way to come see them… you live 15 minutes from them… you don’t get to their house until midnight! That gap has got to be explained!

If you’re growing in the gap, becoming aware of your divinity, that’s a good thing and it will show when your story ends. In like fashion, if you’re gaming in the gap … when the story ends … that too will show.

So, how are you filling in the gaps? With growth or game?

Growing or Gaming in the Gap © 2010 by Wendell F. Phillips