God has always used jerks. He used people like Abraham, David, and even Paul. All of them had their jerky moments.
He even uses jerks who don’t even know they are being used by Him. Like John Mayer.
Not long ago I was on a flight from San Antonio to Orlando. One of my favorite places to be is 30,000 feet in the air. It’s free from disruption and interruption. It’s a great place to do some reading and to put ear buds in and listen to some music. For me, it’s a pleasant, solitary experience in the best possible way.
So after we climbed high enough to be allowed to operate electronic devices, I decided to turn on some John Mayer and read a good book. Now John has had his problems and issues. Many people would consider him a jerk. But in that moment, on that plane, with his music playing in my ears, God was using him to bring pleasure into my life.
As I listened to John Mayer’s music, I was taken back to times and places I had forgotten. I was filled with a spectrum of emotions. I was overwhelmed by songwriting brilliance and incredible skill on the guitar.
One of the reasons God gives us vocation in life is to serve others. Sometimes we do so without even knowing it. John Mayer has been given the vocation of entertainer. And that’s what he is, in the best sense of the word…at least for me. He brings pleasure and emotion through his music. I guess you could say I had a “music high” on an airplane high above the ground.
John Mayer’s “jerkiness” is well-documented. But he and his music can still be used in a way that serves others. He certainly serves me when his music is introduced into my life at just the right time. Like music often does, it takes me back to places and times that mean a great deal to me. It rouses emotion that brings a good kind of melancholy, a pure kind of joy, and an encounter with certain kinds of truth.
In the end, we’re all jerks, because we have all fallen far short of the will of God. And yet He uses us to serve others in ways that we may not even know. No matter what your “vocation” may be, it is a gift of God to others.
So thanks, John Mayer, “jerk” that you may be, your music serves me in ways you probably don’t even know or understand.
Whose music speaks to you and serves you more than any other?
I "discovered" your blog a few weeks ago after Charlie Sykes re-tweeted a comment from you to him regarding Ryan Braun, and I thought, "I know that man!"—did a little internet search on you, and saw the blog link. For years I was Paul Bahr's secretary at MLHS–left four years ago, and remember you and Tammy often visiting the main office. Our youngest son, Greg, was a good friend of Ashlyn. I've enjoyed seeing what you are up to in Florida and have forwarded the link to your blog to my husband and all three of our sons, and we are all enjoying it. Happy to hear that your lovely family is doing so well.
Thank you so much! I enjoy keeping up with Greg on social media. So good to hear from you (and thanks to Charlie, too!).
Mark Schultz is that way for me. He is a great story teller and he composes hauntingly beautiful phrases on the piano. Met him after a concert once and wasn’t impressed. Apparently he wasn’t as excited to meet a middle-aged overweight woman who liked his music. Boy did he miss the target! If he only knew how awesome I am, that is when I am not being a jerk…..
Best. Comment. Ever.