A WORD FOR TODAY, June 7, 2024
Peggy Hoppes
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Blessings. Peg
A WORD FOR TODAY, June 7, 2024
“Jesus said to him, ‘“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. A second likewise is this, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.’” Matthew 22:37-40, WEB
I have a confession to make. I’m a grumbler. I grumble when something doesn’t quite go my way. I grumble when someone cuts me off on the road. I grumble when people are inconsiderate at the grocery store. I admit that when I grumble, I tend to call people by some not so nice names. I don’t do it in their hearing, it is usually just in my head, although I have been known to yell in the car even though I know they can’t hear me. I joke about the fact that there are a lot of bad drivers in the world, but I’m often reminded that I’m not perfect and that I am probably the reason others yell bad names in their cars when I’m driving.
It happened today at the grocery store. I am often amazed at how inconsiderate and inobservant many people are when they walk the aisles. They park their cart on one side while standing in the middle to look for an item on the shelves across the aisle. They turn corners and cross aisles without looking to see if anyone is coming. They squeeze past people who are patiently waiting for others to walk through. They are on their phones, walking and talking as if there is no one else in the store. I try to be considerate. I know I have more time and patience, but I do grumble when others make the trip more difficult because they are so unaware of others in their path.
Well, I was that inconsiderate person today. I waited patiently as a couple walked past on a main aisle, but then rushed out to cross without noticing a man in a scooter was a few feet behind them. He slowed down and grumbled at me about cutting him off. I further confess that I just kept going: no apology or acknowledgement. I was frustrated by that point because I’d been cut off a dozen times already. I just wanted to be done and go home.
I think about all those people about whom I’ve grumbled over the years. Yes, some of them are bad drivers and self-focused shoppers, and yet how many of them were just like me? How many of them try to be considerate, but are having a bad day? How many times have I grumbled about someone who is usually very aware of their surroundings and gives grace to those who are rushing and impatient. I tend to believe the worst without thinking that maybe they are just as frustrated as I was today and that maybe they just want to get home. Perhaps they are distracted by a struggle in their life. We’ve all been there. This is why we need to love our neighbors as ourselves, because we are just as unlovable as they are.
When I’m cut off on the highway or in the grocery store, I am quick to call that person something that is not very nice. I’ve used words about people that I would never want others to use about me. When I do this, I am cut to the heart. I know I have done the very same things on the highway, and though I’m quick to justify my failure with excuses I am never willing to give the other guy the same consideration. When this happens, I vow to be more considerate on the road and to hold my tongue. I ask forgiveness for the thoughts, words, and deeds against my neighbor. And then the next time it happens, I spit out those same words all over again.
We are saved by the grace of Christ. While our salvation is a future promise of eternal life, we are saved in this life to be transformed for the sake of the Gospel and for the glory of God. We are saved and are sanctified so that the world will see Christ in our life and in our deeds. Unfortunately, we are still living in the flesh, the flesh which is weak. We fail. We all fail, even those that we respect for their gracious living. We say things we know we shouldn’t, but the words come out of our mouths even before we realize we are thinking about them. We do what is wrong even before we realize we are doing it. We don’t do what is right and do not even realize it until the moment has passed. We fail because our flesh still holds the sin which Christ has overcome.
Thankfully, Jesus forgives our failures and teaches us a better way. The Holy Spirit transforms us so that we’ll be better the next time. We are saved, but we continue to be sinners in need of Jesus’ grace. As we go through this life, we are reminded to do our best to consider the possibility that our neighbors are not worthy of our grumbling but are just having a bad day, just like we do, loving them when they seem unlovable because we have been loved by the One who does not consider any of us unlovable.
A WORD FOR TODAY is posted five days a week – Monday through Friday. The devotional on Wednesday takes a look at the scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for the upcoming Sunday. A WORD FOR TODAY is posted on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Word-for-Today-Devotional/339428839418276. Like the page to receive the devotion through Facebook. For information and to access our archives, visit http://www.awordfortoday.org
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