Avid fans of the Andy Griffith Show will remember Mr. McBeevee. He was a utility worker that Opie met, a man who climbed trees, wore a hard hat, had tools strapped on a tool belt, and jingled when he walked. Mr. McBeevee befriended Opie and Opie was so impressed that when he described his new friend to Andy and Barney-well, he sounded like a make believe character. Andy was okay with make believe until Opie showed him a quarter that Mr. McBeevee had given him. At that point Andy told his son to tell the truth or suffer the consequences. That meant a spanking. With a pleading look in his eyes, Opie said, “Pa, Mr. McBeevee is real, don’t you believe me?” Andy replied, “Yes, son I believe you.” Moments later, in answering questions from Barney and Aunt Bee, Andy said, “No, I don’t believe in Mr. McBeevee, but I do believe in Opie.” Viewers of this episode know, as it turns out, there really was a Mr. McBeevee.
What’s the lesson for us Christians? A part of Andy’s reasoning was that he knew there were times he asked his son to believe things that were hard for a child to understand. The believing must come from trusting the one who loves you. When it comes to our relationship with God, it’s the same way. He asks us to believe things that are hard to believe sometimes. To believe He really loves us. That Jesus paid in full for our sins. To believe there is no condemnation for us. That the bad things and hard times are actually working for our good. We believe when it’s hard to believe, not because we understand, but because we have confidence in the One who unconditionally loves us.
-Pastor Terry