By Maxie Heppell
Love means following His commandments, and His unifying commandment
is that you conduct your lives in love. This is the first thing you heard,
and nothing has changed. ”
2 John 1: 6 The Message
Another weekend, another unfamiliar hotel room. The melancholy threatens to bounce from the closet, and I intentionally go looking for nice things from my week to stop the tears from spilling.
There was this one day. It was not a good day, nor a bad one. It was just another day. Until I took a wide turn at Tesco and gave a beautiful black Golf’s mudguard a smidgeon of complimenting colour.
On that day, that ordinary day, I had a choice. It was not a flesh wound, just a few scratches. The owner would not have even picked it up most likely. I could have left it there.
But years ago, I sort of struck a deal with the Lord: If I always speak the truth, will You please work it out so that the punishment is not too severe?
And again, as every other time, He came through.
I went into the store and asked the lady behind the intercom to please call the owner of so-and-so. A few minutes later, a woman about 10 years older than me came up to me, her face not giving away a thing.
I immediately said I was sorry and that it was all my fault and that she should please walk with me to have a look at the damage to her car. Her reaction? Not what I had expected.
She barely glanced at her own and then looked over at my car and asked if I had seen that I had some damage too? In my panic, I didn’t even think about it.
We exchanged numbers and took some photos, but she assured me that she would not take it any further – it really was not that bad.
It was a good day after all. Me and the Lord’s deal was still intact.
Later that evening I sent her another thank you for being so kind about the whole thing. To which she replied:
“…my faith in human nature has been restored.”
And my heart folds in on itself. How humbling when you realize it was never about you.
Maybe I did not need another lesson in truth-telling.
Maybe that woman needed to believe again.
Your inspiration for the week: Prophet
Here are the English lyrics of this Romanian song:
PROPHET
Shall I keep secret from my servants?
My plan? Really?
Shall I keep secret from my servants?
My plan?
Thoughts of peace and joy
My thoughts
They are also good for you
CHOIR
Here I want you to do
A prophet in a dry place
Fearless, live
And to declare life to those who do not have it
BRIDGE
I, I chose you
Out of the valley with legs
I picked you up
I gave you a name
I found you
I will be their father
Her daughters and sons
