Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Thoughts from Mayberry

• Posted by Hannah at 12:52 PM
• 0 Comments

C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity, "Surely what a man does when he is taken off his guard is the best evidence for what sort of man he is..." Who are you when taken off guard? Are you the same in front of an audience? Would you be friendly to the visitor at church even if the pastor was not watching? Would you help with your siblings even if you had not been asked to do so? Would you go the extra mile if no one else was looking?

In one of my favorite episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, the town of Mayberry has the "Miss Mayberry Beauty Contest." Sheriff Taylor is nominated to be the sole judge of the contest, which turns out to be more than he bargained for when young ladies and their mothers begin to arrive at his house to campaign for the title of Miss Mayberry. Miss Erma Bishop, a genteel older lady, becomes the Sheriff's salvation when she kindly offers to help him out. Miss Bishop gives her time and effort to organizing the contest, and in the end, Sheriff Taylor surprises everyone by crowning her "Miss Mayberry." Although Miss Bishop is not the obvious candidate--she is at least thirty years older than the contestants--the inner beauty she displayed in offering to help wherever she was needed made her a most deserving winner.

The simply told story of Miss Bishop struck me as I realized that one of the best aspects of her inner beauty was that she did not expect to be praised for it. She required no credit. She worked hard behind the scenes only for the sake of serving others.

Jesus Himself saved the life of an adulteress though her reputation would in no way heighten His own. He dined with sinners. He visited the homes of the diseased and those deemed unlovable, healing them. Jesus cared as much for individuals in His private ministry as He did in His public ministry because in both situations, His motivation was still the same. His goal was to glorify God, not to receive the applause of people.

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." -Colossians 3:23-24