I was in my closet fumbling around trying to find the right color socks to wear. I needed blue. Either the light was really bad in there or my eyes are just getting old because I couldn't tell. "Are these blue or black?" I thought to myself.
Ah ha! I figured out that if I hold the sock up to something that I knew was black, the true color would become more obvious to me. Sure enough, my socks which looked black to my naked eye were in fact blue when compared to my black-ish shoes. (By the way, since we're dealing with socks here...I've recently converted to the knee-high dress sock. I am convinced there is nothing more comfortable. You don't have to mess with pulling up your socks every 5 minutes, and they are just so comfortable it's crazy. They cost a little more $$, but I think it is well worth it. When it's cold outside, it's like a little more insulation. The guy at Joyner Fry says that's all he wears...
SO here comes the parallel...Often times I think, "Hey, you're not such a bad guy after all, Justin. You've got your life pretty well together." The problem with this attitude is that I forget how miserably rotten I am. When you hold me up against somthing that's perfect (kinda like the blue sock against the black)--- like Christ--- I see the real me. Apart from the Lord, I'm a depraved and destitute man. Nothing about me is good or acceptable or likeable. My life and all that I have pales in comparison to the perfection of Christ. He is pure and lovely. He is spotless. He's majestic and mighty. He is full of grace and truth. He is humble and meek. And by trusting in Him, He transfers His righteouness to me. He takes my life, broken as it may be, and fixes it. He makes something out of nothing. As David said, He is the one "Who forgives all [my] iniquities, who heals all [my] diseases, who redeems [my] life from destruction, who crowns [me] with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies [my] mouth with good things, so that [my] youth is renewed like the eagle's".
Wow, that's something to be thankful for!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Self checkout
Don't use the self checkout at Walmart. At least not on New Year's Eve...
So I'm standing there, waiting to pay for my THREE (yes, 3) items in the self checkout lane (doesn't it make sense to use the self checkout for SMALL quantities of groceries?) and I have the unfortunate luck of getting behind two other customers with cartsful of groceries. As each item is slowly dragged across the red light, the computer prompts the customer to "place item in bagging area". You may have realized in your own shopping experiences that if you fail to place the item in the bagging area IMMEDIATELY, or if the machine does not SENSE you placing the item in the bagging area- you may NOT proceed. At that point, the little green light at the top of the pole turns red and we are now waiting for the Walmart employee to come over and "unstick" the machine. You may have also noted during your trips to Walmart that there is only one Walmart employee to service about 4-6 self checkout stations. What I'm getting at here is that the service is anything but immediate...all I can think about is how idiotic these people are. I mean, how hard is it to swipe your barcode and put the can of corn in the bag? You'd think this were rocket science or something. Perhaps we should start requiring those wishing to use the self checkout to show proof of a college diploma first...
What is perhaps more upsetting about this whole shopping experience is the following:
WHY DOES IT BOTHER ME SO BAD?
Is it really that much skin off my back to have to wait an extra 5 minutes to pay for my package of diapers and wipes?
Am I so important that I have to always be the first one in line? After all, I could have chosen to go to the "full service" line if I wanted to, right?
James said we must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. I'm not sure I was angry with the people in front of me, or just irritated. But why? The truth is that in my heart of hearts I count myself greater and others as lesser. Especially if the others don't look like me or dress like me. This is secret pride in its most authentic form.
To be like Christ I have to learn to put others first and make myself last. I have to think about the other guy, not just myself. I have to practice humility. I have to be brought low. I have to think so little of me that I automatically- instinctually- give preference to my neighbor when faced with a choice. Lord, make it so.
So I'm standing there, waiting to pay for my THREE (yes, 3) items in the self checkout lane (doesn't it make sense to use the self checkout for SMALL quantities of groceries?) and I have the unfortunate luck of getting behind two other customers with cartsful of groceries. As each item is slowly dragged across the red light, the computer prompts the customer to "place item in bagging area". You may have realized in your own shopping experiences that if you fail to place the item in the bagging area IMMEDIATELY, or if the machine does not SENSE you placing the item in the bagging area- you may NOT proceed. At that point, the little green light at the top of the pole turns red and we are now waiting for the Walmart employee to come over and "unstick" the machine. You may have also noted during your trips to Walmart that there is only one Walmart employee to service about 4-6 self checkout stations. What I'm getting at here is that the service is anything but immediate...all I can think about is how idiotic these people are. I mean, how hard is it to swipe your barcode and put the can of corn in the bag? You'd think this were rocket science or something. Perhaps we should start requiring those wishing to use the self checkout to show proof of a college diploma first...
What is perhaps more upsetting about this whole shopping experience is the following:
WHY DOES IT BOTHER ME SO BAD?
Is it really that much skin off my back to have to wait an extra 5 minutes to pay for my package of diapers and wipes?
Am I so important that I have to always be the first one in line? After all, I could have chosen to go to the "full service" line if I wanted to, right?
James said we must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry. I'm not sure I was angry with the people in front of me, or just irritated. But why? The truth is that in my heart of hearts I count myself greater and others as lesser. Especially if the others don't look like me or dress like me. This is secret pride in its most authentic form.
To be like Christ I have to learn to put others first and make myself last. I have to think about the other guy, not just myself. I have to practice humility. I have to be brought low. I have to think so little of me that I automatically- instinctually- give preference to my neighbor when faced with a choice. Lord, make it so.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)