Good morning church and welcome to the first Saturday of September!
Early one morning I went out for a walk. I had my earbuds in, listening to music and enjoying the day. As you might have learned from other Ramblings, I can be fairly observant as I wander about. On this particular day, I was deep in thought and a little slow to observe things. Yeah, I know, you are hoping that I ran into a pole or fell into an open manhole. Sorry, nothing as exciting as that. On that day, I recall walking along and passing a nail laying along the edge of the road near the curb. The thing is, I was deep in thought so it wasn’t until I was like ten steps passed it that it dawned on me what I had seen. Having had more than my fair share of flat tires over the years, I have made it a habit to pick up any nails or screws that I see in the roadway or parking lots. I figure that maybe I am helping someone else out so that they don’t get to experience the joys of jacking up their car with a device made from recycled aluminum cans, installing the temporary tire that was originally designed for a tricycle, and limping their way to the nearest tire repair shop. I know, I am robbing them of a blessing. Nevertheless, I have been fairly diligent over the years to purge the world of this devastating plague. Ok, maybe that was an overstatement. But I have picked up quite a few things in the off chance it might keep someone else from having to deal with it. Anyway, back to that day. So what did your fearless leader and pastor friend do when he realized that he had passed that road hazard? I rationalized it away. I made excuses. Besides, it was way back there. If I had recognized it sooner I would have picked it up. After all, I pick these things up all of the time. Maybe someone else will pick it up. It was next to the curb and you shouldn’t be driving there anyway. Having justified my actions, I went on. And for the rest of my walk, the thought kept coming back to me, “you should have just went back and picked it up.” Within a day or two, I was back out for a walk. Yep, you guessed it. I intentionally went back to the area and searched for the nail. It was no where to be found. In fact, I didn’t find anything in that whole area. I hope that maybe the street sweeper came by but who knows. I can tell you this, I haven’t passed any more nails and screws along that route without stopping to pick them up.
So, what can we learn from this other than the obvious fact I am out of my mind? Probably that it can be the little things that you do that can make a big difference in people’s lives. Picking up a nail takes a few seconds. Dealing with a flat tire can take a few hours. Also, these acts are often done in obscurity. You never know who it is that you have helped. More often than not, the people might not even recognize they have been helped. But, isn’t that the beauty of it? In our walk with Christ, we have the ability to make this world a better place by demonstrating the fruit of the spirit in our lives. Sometimes, it may be as simple as a smile, a kind word, or a prayer that can touch a person’s life in a profound way. Let me encourage you to live out your faith on a daily basis. Look for opportunities to help others to know and experience the love of Christ. Sometimes this can be done in some kind of grand gesture. Most often, however, it is the small things done every day that make the most difference.
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).
Larry
0 Comments