Harvey and Jesus

"And those seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music"

                        - Japanese Proverb

I don't know if any of you have seen or heard of the play Harvey, but I saw it for the first time recently, and was instantly struck by a bizarre comparison. 

Harvey reminds me, in a lot of ways, of our relationship with Jesus. 

Now for those of you who haven't seen either the play or the movie, let me explain. 

The story line revolves around a middle aged man, Elwood P. Dowd, whose best friend is an invisible 6'3" white rabbit known simply as Harvey. Elwood and Harvey are inseparable. They do everything together: go to concerts, play poker, frequent bars, and Elwood insists on introducing Harvey to everyone he meets. Needless to say, this penchant of his is met with suspicion, alarm, and outright hostility on the part of those around him. The entire town is convinced that he has gone insane. In fact, his own sister tries to get him admitted to a psych ward! 

Quite frankly, there are probably some who will read this and think the psych ward is where I should be for even attempting to make this comparison. But bear with me. 

See, there's a beautiful passage, where Elwood is depicting an evening spent with Harvey, and this is how he describes it:  

"Harvey and I sit in the bars...have a drink or two...play the juke box. And soon the faces of all the other people they turn toward mine and they smile. And they're saying, "We don't know your name, mister, but you're a very nice fella". Harvey and I warm ourselves in all these golden moments. We've entered as strangers - soon we have friends, And they come over. They sit with us. They drink with us. They talk to us. They tell us about the big terrible things they've dine and the big wonderful things they'll do. Their hopes, and their regrets, and their loves, and their hates. All very large, because nobody ever brings anything small into a bar. And then I introduce them to Harvey. And he is bigger and grander than anything they offer me, and when they leave, they leave impressed. The same people seldom come back; but that's envy, my dear. There's a little bit of envy in the best of us". 

And it struck me: This is how our relationship with Jesus should be. 

It should be the kind where, when people gravitate towards us to pour out their life stories, we simply introduce them to Jesus. 

Since He truly is "bigger and grander" than all else, and has the ultimate answers to life's questions, who better to lead people to? 

But, as with Elwood and Harvey, not everyone is willing to acknowledge the existence of what is unseen, and more often than not, they will leave, never to return. However, there are a few, few and far between, who will not only stay, but return for more.

As for those who leave, Elwood says it best. "That's envy, my dear."

Because nothing can come close to Christ's splendor, and to simply rest in Him without worry for the future, is enviable, and something that most people can't achieve on their own. 

So, I vote that we learn a thing or two from Mr. Dowd, and, simply keep introducing people to Jesus. Whether or not they care, whether or not they think we're crazy, whether or not they never come back again. 

There can be no greater task.