“What Being a Census Enumerator Has Taught Me About God, (Part 2) = “Everything”
We live in a time when people really don’t trust anybody with their personal information, not even with the government (or that’s what they say, anyway). But if they really took the time to think about it, they would realize all the information they gave in order to open their bank account, credit cards, insurance, cable TV, even for filing their taxes. For example, I once knew somebody who used to work in customer service for a credit card company, and did you know that when you call your credit card company, a screen pops up immediately in front of the customer service rep, revealing personal information such as your full name, birthday, age, social security number, address, former addresses, phone number(s), mother’s maiden name, and the like of anybody else on the card (say for instance you share an account with your spouse)? Seriously! And to think that many companies have their customer service reps in India and the Philippines, what’s that tell you about the confidentiality of what you (or your banks) consider personal? And just think of those memberships you signed up for over the phone or via mail. Scary? But yet they’re trusted.
When It Comes To the Census
So now, when it comes to the Census, the most personal questions I believe we asked were name (first, last, middle initial), age, and date of birth. Everything else, people were more than happy to answer. Oh yeah…and their phone number for verification purposes. For some reason, people were hesitant to give that, also (but if we really wanted, we could just look it up on Whitepages.com). Weird, isn’t it?
Same Law that Guaranteed Our Confidentiality With Their Info
Here’s the thing. The same law that guaranteed our confidentiality with their info, also required that they give us all the info. Did you get that? According to the federal laws found in the U.S. Code, Title 13 (sections 9), 141, 193, 214, and 221 and Title 44 (section 2108), residents were required to give us all the information that we asked for. It’s required by federal law! But many thought they could pick and choose what they wanted to answer…they wanted us to uphold our part of the bargain, but not have to hold up theirs.
He Gave Up Everything FOR Us
Jesus said that if we wish to be His disciples, we must first deny (disown) ourselves (completely), pick up our crosses, and follow Him. He also said that nobody who puts their hands on the plow and looks back is worthy of being His disciple. In other words, Jesus demands EVERYTHING from us, because He gave up everything FOR us. If we hold anything back, then He says we’re not even worthy of being called His disciple.
Reflection
- Think about it for a moment. Is there anything you’re holding back from God? Finances, relationships, ethics, diet, service, time?
- Are you really giving Jesus everything? If you are holding something back, why?
- What needs to be done (in you) to give Jesus everything?
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