Even toothpaste can be a test.

 

Go with me here for a moment.

 Let’s say you have just filled your shopping cart with everything on your list. You notice all the checkout lines are crowded, so you mosey on over to the self-checkout area. Under the wary supervision of the self-checkout checker/staffer, you scan and bag your items and place them back in your shopping cart.

 You roll on over to the exit, where the welcome/receipt checker looks in your cart and waves you on.

 Now in the parking lot, you load all your bags into your vehicle.

 

Then it happens.

 Suddenly, you notice a loose item in the bottom of your cart. It’s a tube of toothpaste, and the box is the same color as the cart.

 “Did I miss scanning this thing?” You ask yourself.

 So you check your receipt, which is about two feet long, even though you only purchased about 20 items. And you discover that you did not scan and pay for the toothpaste.

 What do you do?

 

This actually just happened to me.

 Here’s what I did. And I’m not spelling this out for extra points or for pride’s sake. I’m not a perfect Christian. I slip up daily in all sorts of ways. Thank God for His grace. I’m just sharing this story because the experience made me ponder the potential impact our seemingly simple and relatively insignificant choices can have on ourselves and others.

 OK, so I grabbed the toothpaste and my receipt, locked my car, and went back into the store. I walked directly to the exit of the self-checkout area, where the same self-checkout checker/staffer was standing. She asked me what I needed. I handed her my receipt and explained that I had neglected to scan the toothpaste. Then I went to an empty register, scanned the item, and paid for it.

 The self-checkout checker/staffer didn’t react or respond. Maybe she didn’t care. Perhaps she was simply bored with her job. But it could be that she was pondering why someone would go to all that bother to pay for an item that cost about $5.

 It doesn’t make any difference whether she even noticed.

 

No matter how someone else responds to our choices, those choices matter.

 WWJD is still a thing. This catchphrase may not be bandied about as much as it used to be. But the warning behind it still stands.

 

1. We live by faith, but it is demonstrated by action.

 We’re not here to show off for the Lord. But what we do shows, whether we realize it or not. How often do pre-believers evaluate Jesus by what they see in His followers? (We know we don’t measure up. That’s the crux of the Gospel. But that’s a question for those who have not yet trusted in His grace..)

 What if that self-checkout checker happens to spot me at church? Will she judge because of my behavior? Sure, we don’t make moral choices based on what others will think of us, but we also know that our actions can prompt others to assess not only us, but everything we stand for.

 Can you imagine her glancing down the row of seats? Maybe I’d smile at her, trying to be welcoming and friendly. But she might just imagine stolen toothpaste on my smile.

 Is it worth risking offending someone who might be considering Christ, just to save a few steps back into the store to pay for a small unpaid item?

 You bet it’s not.

 

2. We have to live with ourselves.

 Once we trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, we are freed from guilt and shame because of His atoning sacrifice on the cross on our behalf.

 We still have to live out this life until He calls us home to Heaven. We still have to wrestle with sin and fend off the enemy’s darts that accuse us every time we mess up. And we still contend with our own God-given consciences. I know mine can send me spinning when I make a poor choice. Sure, my eternal salvation no longer hangs in the balance, but my peace of mind sometimes does.

 Because we are awed by God, grateful for grace, and eager to please Him, we consider even the smallest choices to matter.

 

3. We live for God, if we belong to Christ.

 That’s the bottom line. And He is the one who said, “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much” (Luke 16:10, ESV).

Toothpaste is free at the dentist, but not at the store. And that errant tube only cost five bucks. But a clean conscience is priceless.

 

It wouldn’t matter much to God if my teeth were shiny white, if my truth was tarnished.

 I stumble in all sorts of ways. I can even trip over my own feet. But I believe that our ability to hear from God is fine-tuned, every time we listen and obey. Lord, help me.

Image/s: Public domain photo adapted by this user

 

Related items:

• Finishing the race: It's OK to be a little emotional
• Here's a gift, lady. Now, don't use it.
• My heart hurts because you matter
• Slinging Snow Cones and Sloppy Lies
• Will God let everybody into Heaven?

 

 

Feel free to follow on X. Don’t miss the Heart of a Ready Writer page on Facebook. You are invited to visit my Amazon author page as well.

 

When God states the obvious, it's probably not

 

 Repetitions and seemingly obvious statements in the Bible probably aren’t as simple as we tend to think they are. We may be tempted to skim or skip through passages that sound redundant or overly familiar to us.

But maybe that’s the point.

 If God took the time to repeat something, it’s not because He slipped in His speech, as we are wont to do. And He’s not nagging.

 You know how we might relate the same stories or jokes or other statements multiple times, perhaps because we forgot we’d already told them? Or we thought someone might not have listened to us the first seven or eight times? Or we didn’t like how a listener wasn’t really listening or answered us in an unexpected and unsatisfying way?

 

 I’m thinking that’s not what it means when God repeats things – especially in His Holy Word. Or when He restates something that seems already evident to us. When He does this, it’s clearly for emphasis. He wants to make sure we really grasp the point.

Here’s an example.

 In Joshua 13, the chapter opens this way:

 “Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, ‘You are old and advanced in years’” (v. 1, ESV).

 It’s not like Joshua didn’t already know his age. He was old. He was advanced in years. (And aren’t those literally the same thing?) But God pointed it out to him.

God wasn't springing Joshua’s age on him as a surprise. I suspect God was recognizing and acknowledging Joshua’s situation. (The Lord went on to outline Joshua’s instructions, which were becoming more urgent as he grew older.)

 Looking at our own lives, how often does God point out our most obvious conditions, crises, or concerns? Consider these possibilities:

 Now Jake was battling post-traumatic stress disorder. The Lord said to him, “You are battling post-traumatic stress disorder.”

 Now Katy was struggling with chronic migraines. The Lord said to her, “You are struggling with chronic migraines.”

 Now Grandpappy was enduring his third round of chemotherapy. The Lord said to him, “You are enduring your third round of chemotherapy.”

 Now Lucy and Sy were sorrowing over another miscarriage. The Lord said to them, “You are sorrowing over another miscarriage.”

 Now Leslie was job-hunting after receiving another pink slip. The Lord said to her, “You are job-hunting after receiving another pink slip.”

 Our all-seeing and all-knowing God is not caught off-guard by any of these difficult scenarios. Not ever. He’s waiting for us to call on Him.

We get that – at least much of the time we do. But how do we feel when He tells us about our troubles, which we painfully and obviously already know about?

 It’s like God is affirming our challenges.

 

“I see you,” He says.

 He understands. He knows our anxieties. He sees our struggles. He feels our pain. And He steps into our lives to meet us exactly where we are.

 And then, once He has our attention, He leads us forward, be it through or over or past whatever we’re facing.

 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV)

 Related items:

• Dark and difficult emotions don’t negate our faith.
• Does God say no to earnest prayers?
• Maybe worry isn’t all bad.
• Ouch! Why do we grieve grievers with tacky questions?
• Peace in the storm can only be God’s.

 

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Don’t miss the Heart of a Ready Writer page on Facebook. You are invited to visit my Amazon author page as well.

 

Image/s: Man with a Knapsack, Winslow Homer, 1873, public domain

When well-meaning advice does more damage than good

Advice from trusted friends is often a great gift – except when it isn’t.

 Wading through the book of Job this week, I am so struck by contrasts. This book begins as a narrative of the onset and progression of this faithful follower of God’s life-changing losses and agonies. But it soon becomes a volleying of speeches offered by Job’s friends, with his own responses interspersed.

 As Job and his seemingly well-intentioned friends discuss his remarkable suffering, it may be challenging for the reader to pick out the good advice from the bad. Although each of his friends offers some nuggets of truth and wisdom, they also go out of bounds. 

 

 OK, these guys do spend an impressive amount of time listening to Job first, as he airs his woes. But then they launch into their own diatribes:

• They attempt to analyze Job’s situation, even though they lack insight into it.
• They add insult to injury by complaining about other problems besides Job’s (as if he needs additional worries or concerns at this point).
• They blame Job for his troubles.
• They offer pat answers, claiming the faithful will come out alright.
• They question Job’s faith.
• They critique their friend Job, making themselves sound better by comparison.
• They seem to explain away some of his troubles, as if he might be exaggerating his misery.
• They call Job to repent, which is always a good idea before God, but they do not know that Job’s suffering did not result from sin on his part.
• Basically Job’s friends offer him counsel (right or wrong) when what he really needed was comfort.

 (I’m cringing because I realize that I have been both the giver and the recipient of similar well-meaning, but off-target commentaries over the years.)

 In all of this, despite his own agony and his having to endure all of their hot air, Job remains faithful to God. He dares to ask difficult and honest questions, knowing that God is able to take that. And as believers, we know that God will answer Job (and will answer us) in His time.

Spoiler alert: This proves to be true before the end of the book, as God restores Job.

 God is not afraid or threatened by our difficult and honest questions. And there are times when He is the only wise counsel, even when others earnestly are trying to help. Maybe that’s why the Apostle John instructed believers thusly:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.” (1 John 4:1a, NKJV)

 We are also limited. We need His wisdom — oh, how we need it — especially in our most difficult times.

 One of my most frequently prayed promises of the Scriptures wasn’t around in Job’s time. But it’s here for us:

 “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you." (James 1:5, NIV)

 Bring it, Lord. How we need Your wisdom.

 

Related items:

• Arms up or up in arms?
• Betrayed again … but Jesus knows the feeling
• Dark and difficult emotions don’t negate our faith
• Does mother-grief last forever?
• Fighting for heir time
• My heart hurts because you matter
• Snotty snubs and hot coals

 

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Don’t miss the Heart of a Ready Writer page on Facebook. You are invited to visit my Amazon author page as well.

Image/s: Mr. Mel's Neighbors by Evan Harrington, 1860, public domain

Fellowship wins, even with pandemic's shelter-in-place

The current pandemic, leading to folks practicing social distancing and several areas prohibiting group gatherings, could easily isolate us from those we love. It could keep us out of encouraging fellowship and socialization.

Our most introverted friends are joking about how they have prepared their whole lives for such a time. But our extroverted ones are moaning and groaning. Most of us fall somewhere in-between.

But perhaps we all benefit from some form of mutual interaction, at least occasionally, even if our desired doses differ. That’s probably what the Bible means, when it says:

“And let us not give up meeting together. Some are in the habit of doing this. Instead, let us encourage one another with words of hope. Let us do this even more as you see Christ’s return approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25, NIRV)

How can fellow believers get together, when respected authorities tell us to stay apart?

We have to get a little creative, like my small group did.

This group of ladies, representing maybe 10 very different churches, has gathered for many years. We go to the mat for each other in prayer. We cheer one another on, but we also exhort in love, when it’s needed. We are a safe place, so this happens pretty seamlessly. And we laugh. Oh, how we laugh.

I could describe every one of these dear friends this way:

“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness.” (Proverbs 31:25-26, NLT)

Clearly, we can all grasp the seriousness of the current situation. We understand that there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4, NIV).

But we also remind one another that God is still God. Lately, we’ve been reminding each other of that even more than usual.

Because of this coronavirus situation, we have canceled our weekly get-togethers.

And we miss one another. So we decided to meet anyway, but in a much safer way (for the time being). Like many churches, organizations, and businesses, we took to the worldwide web.

We decided to go virtual with our Bible study, while the world rides out this pandemic.

We each downloaded a particular free app on our smart phones or tablets. At the appointed hour, the group leader opened the session. We basically video-chatted. After 30 minutes, the session timed out, and we were disconnected from the call.

At that point, several members went to our private Facebook page and began posting comments, relevant Scriptures, and worship song videos to share.

We’re still plugged in, even if we cannot gather face-to-face for a while.

It’s amazing what a difference a little time with friends can make. (I miss them again already.)

Image/s:

Adapted from public domain image

Feel free to follow on Twitter. Don’t miss the Heart of a Ready Writer page on Facebook. You are invited to visit my Amazon author page as well.