Actor and singer Bob McGrath died this week. The name may not ring a bell but if you pull up a picture you’re sure to recognize him. He was a founding cast member of “Sesame Street” and played the part of neighbor Bob Johnson for 52 years. I didn’t watch it daily but, like millions of other kids, Sesame Street was still a part of my childhood. Though I never harbored some hope of meeting neighbor Bob, he persisted in the recesses of my mind enough to spark a melancholy sentiment when I saw his picture. At the center was his patented grin while surrounded by Burt, Ernie, Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch.
But why? Why did I feel sadness over the passing of a character in a TV show I only watched sporadically as a child? I believe it is because neighbor Bob represented consistency. A kind tone, a cheerful smile and a gentle disposition that endured for over half a century gave the impression of unending dependability. While heartwarming to be sure, the character was only as permanent as the man behind the smile. The news of his death was an unanticipated reminder that this world is temporary. In biblical terms, “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes” (Jas. 4:14).
The reminder by James about the impermanence of life is a caution to those that place too much confidence in their plans for the future. More than a caution, it is a reprimand to those who brag about what tomorrow is sure to bring.
As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. (Jas. 4:16-17)
Note the teaching that is embedded in the admonishment. In conjunction with being expressly told not to boast in personal plans, the reader is chastised for failing to do the right thing. James is making the point that our plans can get in the way of our obligation to honor God. No one pencils into their calendar the things they are not going to do for God, yet we fill our days in such a way that we neglect to do the things we ought. We do not follow through on the things which the Holy Spirit has convicted us to do because there is no time for it.
Failure to proactively accommodate godly convictions leads to sins of omission. It’s easy to identify sins of commission. The “I shouldn’t have said” or “I shouldn’t have done” things demand your attention. They’re out there where others can hear or see them. Sins of omission are much more private. No one knows when you did not encourage, did not lend a hand or did not share the gospel.
The point in James is not that we stop making plans. He does contend, however, that in failing to be intentional about honoring the convictions of the Holy Spirit, you may plan the “right thing to do” right out of your schedule. If you were to take a few minutes to make a list of things that you are particularly well-suited to bless another with, and match that with a person that God has put in your life that has that particular need, then you just identified a ministry opportunity. The only thing left is to follow through. The next step is to plan on it. Proverbs speaks to this as well. “Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it” (Prov. 3:27).
Taking control of your calendar is one thing in view in Jesus’ exhortation to be ready for His return.
Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. If he comes in the second watch, or in the third, and finds them awake, blessed are those servants! But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. (Lk. 12:35–40)
Does your calendar accommodate this imperative? Are there blocks of time set aside for staying dressed for action, keeping your lamps burning, staying awake and being ready? Or can you picture yourself having a neighbor Bob moment—startled that something that had been the same your whole life has suddenly come to an end? Let this be a wakeup call. Be ready. Plan on it.