Shinning light, when I’d rather not…
Isn’t it interesting how other people expect us and want us to live our lives, by their standards? I am not talking about the divinely revealed set of principles or commandments that God has given to His creation; no, I am talking about the vast array of preference choices we can make not fixed to the absolute Truth. (Blue, rather than red; Baseball instead of Football; dog or cat and so on…) In this particular case I am talking about cookies. Yes that is right, cookies, and chocolate chip cookies to be precise!
Not long ago I was in a coffee shop with my two youngest boys. I of course was there for coffee but my boys like their cookies. We were standing in line to order behind a mother and her two children. Her kids asked for cookies. No, nada, no sir! Not on my watch! The mother said, “Cookies are bad for you! They are not healthy and you can’t have any!”
Okay then. I say leave others to their otherness. It was one mother’s choice for her kids and none of my business. Then it was my turn to order. To quote the lyrics to an old song by Peter Gabriel, “If looks could kill, they probably will.” Mother and said kids were not happy! Immediately her children wanted to know why my boys could have cookies and they couldn’t? Remember here, preference choices! I am cool with other people not wanting their children to eat this or that, cookies included; but hey, my choice may be different. Please let me make it! Not this lady! She turned to me and delivered a short, all be it, stinging rebuke of my poor judgment in my diet choices, the long-term damage sugar would have on my soon to be obese type 2 diabetes children, and my overall poor parenting skills.
There was a moment where I really wanted to tell this lady something that I can’t print here. I’ll admit that I briefly toyed with the thought of turning to the semi-filled coffee shop and shouting, “Chocolate Chip Cookies for the house!” But in the end I didn’t defend myself or say anything hurtful in return. I just told her I was sorry I upset her and thanked her for her concern, promising to consider her warning about the dangers of too much sugar. I did this because in that brief moment of anger and frustration, I heard that small voice inside my head that said, “Give her Jesus, not Jim!”
It isn’t easy to be a shinning light when I’d rather not; to say and do the kind of things that Jesus would say or do. Sometimes I don’t live up to His calling and I miss loving people and letting them see Jesus, but on this particular afternoon, I let the light of Christ briefly shine through me and that light helped me to treat this woman with goodness.
All too often we miss that small voice.
God, forgive us for not hearing You; for giving people too much of us when they really need YOU!
Jim, are you sure the spirit WASN’T leading you to buy cookies for the house
All kidding aside, I all-to-often forget that “this little light of mine” ain’t just a kids song. Thanks for the reminder.
Thaanks Jim for the reminder.
Jim, terrific example. Thanks also for putting to words, “Give her Jesus, not Jim!” That is something I can store in my vocabulary when I am searching my response options. In my humaneness my focus can shift away from Jesus and this is a great reminder of how I need to be positioned. Thanks brother!
Chuck