When I enrolled as a student in Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in 1953, one of the courses I was required to take was Archeology 101. On the very first day in class Dr. Marc Lovelace walked into the classroom carrying a shovel over his shoulder. He dropped the shovel on the desk at the front of the room with a loud bang. His first words were these, “Brethren, this is Archaeology 101. If you expect to make an A in this course you are going to have to dig.” The memory of Dr. Lovelace walking into the classroom nearly 70 years ago with the shovel draped over his shoulder is as vivid in my mind as if it were yesterday.
It was his tongue in cheek way of introducing himself to the class – and it definitely got our attention, for we had to dig to pass the course. Archaeologists have an interesting job. They look for and dig up old stuff – really old stuff –- all kinds of stuff, but especially bones -– bones of animals and of people who lived a long time ago. For our final test that semester he wrote these words on the blackboard: “You have applied with the proper authorities in Israel for permission to excavate _________. What tools would you use, how would you use them, and how would you preserve what you find?” To excavate a site in the Middle East, especially in the Holy Land, you would likely find some bones that have an interesting and educational story to tell.
Human bodies are full of bones. You may remember the old spiritual song entitled “These Bones, These Dry Bones.” It goes like this: “The toe bone is connected to the foot bone . . . the foot bone is connected to the ankle bone . . . the ankle bone is connected to the leg bone . . . the leg bone is connected to the thigh bone . . . the thigh bone is connected to the back bone . . . the back bone is connected to neck bone . . . and the neck bone is connected to the head bone . . . now hear the word of the Lord.”
We could not function in our world if our bodies did not contain bones. Every one of the bones mentioned in this spiritual song will show up on an x-ray. Every one of them has a specific function to fulfill. Let us now look at three other bones humans need that won’t show up on an x-ray. Would you care to guess what three bones I am talking about? They are the backbone, the wishbone, and the funny bone.
Your backbone stands for the strength and courage you need to face and conquer the difficulties in life. Who among us has not had mountains to climb and dark valleys to go through? Apostle Paul showed backbone when he described his difficulties in carrying the gospel to the Mediterranean world. He said, “Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day on the open sea.” (II Corinthians 11:24-25).
Your wishbone is linked to your dreams and goals. Paul’s consuming dream was to spread the gospel of Christ. And, as the verses in the preceding paragraph demonstrate, he definitely did not have an easy task. Even so, he did not allow the difficulties he faced to keep him from carrying out his mission. Is your wishbone working? Are you working toward achieving your goals in life? Or has your wishbone been buried and begun to petrify? Don’t wait for an archaeologist to find it. Bring it to life and let God guide your dreams.
Last but not least, your funny bone has the potential to keep your other bones going, especially when the going gets tough. If you allow your funny bone to wither, your smile will wither and be replaced by a frown. A smile is a light in the window of your face that tells people you are home. When you meet someone without a smile, give him/her one of yours. It is a good way to demonstrate that you have Christ in your heart.
Most smiles will start another smile. That is because they are contagious. Oh, and one more thing you need to know: you are never fully dressed in the morning until you put on a smile.
The Paper Pulpit 
Leave a Reply