Do you ever feel like doing the right thing takes way more effort than it should?
My Jeep hit a "No parking" sign two weeks ago on a night when it was way too icy for any sane person to be out on the roads. The sign didn't get knocked to the ground, but wasn't standing up right anymore. No big deal, right? If I had a hammer and ladder, I could have gone out and straightened the sign myself. Really, it wasn't that bad! But the insurance adjuster insisted I needed to file a police report because I was liable for damage to the sign.
At the police station, I waited for an interesting hour to provide information about my crime of hitting a sign. While there, I listened to stories of reasons other people come to the police station and smiled over my situation of being there to report an injured sign.
Much effort to do a good thing.
Then at Borders, I developed a funny friendship with one of the salespeople when she tried to charge me 80% off a regularly priced item and eventually slipped it in my bag without charging me for it at all. At a stoplight while I waited to go pick up our Sunday evening pizza, I checked the receipt and realized she had given me the puzzle for free. Agh!
I really didn't want to steal a wooden doll puzzle! I had a 33% off coupon and Borders rewards, but intended to pay what I owed.
Doing a good thing meant our pizza got cold, a trip back into the store, and $10 coming out of my wallet.
Again, much effort to do a good thing, and I wondered why it's so hard to do what is right.
Then last night, I read this verse: "...If you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in His steps. " (1 Peter 2:20-21)
I hardly count my waiting at the police station and a trip back to Borders suffering, but I'm reminded that doing the good thing isn't going to be easy. The world, as beautiful as it is, has a bent towards sin and the bad. Trying to bend it back towards the good does take effort and sometimes requires going out of my way.
But it is the example of Jesus, and the one I want to follow.
1 comment:
When I was about 12 my older sister and I walked a couple of blocks to our small town grocery store. My mom told us that she had given us enough money to buy either one package of cookies or chips for us girls to share. We went in a added up the cost of both and to our surprise, we could get both, so we did. Then we went to check out and found out that we were 3 cents short; we didn't figure the tax correctly. We walked home and my mom saw on the receipt what we'd done. The cashier had given us 3 cents. She sent us back to the store to tell the girl thank you and give her back the 3 cents. My mom knew that the girls there didn't make much and wanted to pay for what we'd purchased. 3 years later my sister and I both worked at that store. When we were hired, the manager told us that she remembered that we'd been so caring and honest, that she'd be happy to employ us. Moms like you teach their kids important lessons.
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