2Corinthians 5:20 So we are now representatives of the
Anointed One, the Liberating King; God has given us a charge to carry through
our lives – urging all people on behalf of the Anointed to become reconciled to
the Creator God (The Voice Bible).
The other day, I was driving home from running errands. I
came to a familiar corner and stopped at the yield sign, so I could look to see
if the road was clear.
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This is a habit I acquired after my first accident as a
teenager in which I failed to stop at a yield sign and the other car had the
right of way. Needless to say, my father, the police officer, was not happy
with his daughter when he showed up at the scene of the accident.
So, it was well embedded in me to stop and look.
The guy behind me did not hold the same conviction, and in
his impatience, honked his horn at me.
For some reason, this just got all over me. I mean it wasn’t
like I hung out for a long stretch at the yield sign. I stopped, glanced, heard
the honk, and went.
So, I turned into a gas station and let the person go ahead
of me.
Once I was back on the road, however, the thought entered my
mind to catch up with the honker and give him a taste of his own medicine.
But as I neared him, another thought presented itself. How
will this reflect on Christ? Boy, did that cool my jets.
How is my retaliating and honking at this person going to
reflect on my Savior?
After all, I am his representative in this world.
Light-
Salt-
Then a flood of scripture came to mind: Do unto others, we are not our own, love your
enemies.
Ouch!!
So, instead I turned on some music and stayed a reasonable
distance behind him.
To my surprise, but not God’s, he turned onto my street.
Yep. Then into the subdivision where I go to walk. The honker was a neighbor.
What we do carries weight not because of who we are, but
because of whose we are. If our actions do not reconcile others to God, then we need to change our actions. This is one road lesson I plan on remembering.
God's Beautiful Pieces of Grace
bym