Today I want to spend a little time talking about two very tough words - mercy and grace.
Several times lately, I have heard someone mention the word karma. When they use this word, what they are basically saying is that someone got what was coming to them and normally this applies to something bad happening to someone and the fact that they deserved it.
For instance, when someone is mean to you and let's say they call you something bad. Then a couple of days later you hear that something bad happened to them. It can be very easy for us feel like this bad person got what they deserved and maybe they did. But let me ask you something - Do you want what you deserve all the time? Do you want that karma to play a part in your life? Because I know me, and I certainly don't want to get what I deserve because I can tell you that by some of my actions, I deserve some pretty bad stuff.
Now most people who know me would say that I am a pretty nice guy. I try to help people and try to give where ever I can. But there was one time that I was an extremely huge jerk. See, my brother, his wife, my ex-wife and I all went to the movies one night. Now we were at the snack counter buying stuff for the movie and I think my brother's wife ordered a hot dog that we didn't get so I mentioned it to the clerk. From there, things spiraled downward pretty quickly and an one point he called my sister-in-law a liar. This really made me mad so I told this sixteen year old kid that I had a law degree and was smart and successful (at least that's the way I will clean it up for this) and I also told him that he was a worthless nobody who would never make it out of the job he was in. I told him to enjoy working at a movie theater or pumping gas the rest of his life because that was all he would ever do.
Are you little surprised at me? Well, I can tell you that to this day, it is one of the things in my life that I am most ashamed of. That kid didn't deserve the stuff I said to him. So let's talk about karma. As I said, I am really a good guy at heart and I want people to judge me for my heart and not necessarily for the things I say or do. Did I make a mistake with that kid? - YES!!! Am I extremely sorry that I said what I did? - YES!!! Would I ever want to say something like that again? - NO!!! So did I deserve to have something bad happen to me because I said what I did? According to people who run around talking about karma, I did. But thank God I don't serve the God of karma. I serve a God who is full of mercy and grace. What mercy and grace mean is that even though I deserve one thing, I get something else. Let's say I deserve to have something bad happen to me because of what I said to that kid, but I am thankful that God had mercy on me and gave me grace so that nothing bad happened.
Before I leave the movie theater story, I want to tell you one of the most grown up things I have ever done in my life. As you may know I like the movie Dirty Dancing. Now my favorite line is by Baby's father. He confronts Johnny at the end of the movie and says something along the lines of "I know you didn't get that girl in trouble," and Johnny basically says, "So." Then here is my favorite line. Baby's dad says, "When I'm wrong, I say I'm wrong." So I sat down in the theater and felt such a conviction from the Lord about what I had done that I told my then wife, I had to go back and talk to the kid. I will never forget walking up to him. He was standing at one end of the counter and it looked like he had just been ripped up and down both walls for our altercation which had gotten pretty heated. The manager started down toward us to break up what he thought was going to be round two. But when he got close, he heard me telling this kid how sorry I was for my actions. I told him that I was a christian and what I said was absolutely horrible and awful. Then I did something strange, I asked him to forgive me for being so ugly. He said he was sorry too and that he too was a Christian. We both walked away apologizing to each other. I don't know where that young man is today but I hope he is fulfilling all his dreams. I certainly wish him the very best in life.
So back to mercy and grace. I just told you of a time when I needed God's mercy and grace to cover something bad I did. But let's talk about a little different situation now.
But what about when someone does you wrong? First of all, take a minute to look through their eyes at the situation. You might see things much differently if you do. Remember that hurting people hurt other people. If someone hurts you, it is very likely that they are hurt themselves. Again, I don't want you to let someone continue to hurt you but I do want you to consider mercy and grace. If you have a way to let them off the hook, consider it. After all, don't you want someone to give you grace when you mess up? We all know that you and I never mess up on purpose. Sometimes we just do stupid things. Is it possible that the other person you are mad at right now is in the same boat? They didn't mean to hurt you, they just did? I know that sometimes this isn't the case but sometimes it is.
So I want to leave you with this thought, there is a God in Heaven that constantly shows us mercy and grace and when we get in trouble, we always want someone to show us mercy and grace. Then we are going to have to stop giving people what they deserve and give them what we want instead - mercy and grace.
And that's another Opinion of the Minion
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Venti Minion
Today I want to talk about being thankful again. I am thankful that a certain place exists. It is Starbucks. Now don't laugh to much yet. See I am thankful for Starbucks but not just for the drinks which are good. I am thankful for the life lessons I have learned at Starbucks. "Yeah right," you say, "You just like the drinks!" Not so fast. I really have learned a lot from going to Starbucks.
I do like to go to Starbucks. I go there at least once a day and get at least one Venti Earle Grey tea with cream and artificial sweeteners. It's sort of my breakfast and I do this every day after I work out. In fact, I love to mess with my personal trainer by telling him that right after my workout I am headed to Starbucks.
Well, eight years ago, I was very jealous of the skinny people who would come in there with their workout stuff on. They looked like what I wanted to look like. They were in shape, they were happy, they were skinny and I was jealous. I wanted to look like that but I didn't think I ever would. Now fast forward three years. It was a cold day and I had to wear running tights and a long sleeve shirt. I had on a cap and gloves plus my running shoes and I weighed 185 pounds. As I stood in line at the Starbucks, I thought to myself, "Oh My God! I've become one of them!" It was a great feeling. Be careful how you judge people. If you judge someone, you risk becoming just like them.
This certainly worked out good in my life but there are other areas where I have been very judgmental of people and I had to repent for being so. See I judged my ex-wife and even some other people I know and it was never my place to be judge. I realized that I was judging certain areas of their lives without judging my own life. When I looked into my life, there were parts I liked and parts I didn't. As I took a deeper look into some of the parts I didn't like it made me realize that I have no time to judge others. I have to spend my time getting myself straightened out in those areas. What areas of your life are you critical of other people? Do you sit around at lunch with your friends talking about girls or guys and saying things that aren't nice? Make a decision to say nice things and do nice things to others. You will be glad you did.
There was another time at Starbucks that affected me a little more deeply and I was reminded of this the other day while I was out walking. See, one morning about five years ago, I went into Starbucks to get my usual drink. At that time it was a Venti Carmel Light Frappacino. I was standing in line waiting and I was sort of in a bad mood. I was grumbling to myself about my bad run time from that morning. It was nothing that you would have known from looking at me but I was a little aggrivated because my time was slower than I wanted. As I stood there, I saw a man sitting in a wheel chair. He seemed to be having a pretty good day from what I remember. But here is what hit me like a jack hammer. The Lord said something on the inside of me. He said, "You see that man sitting there? He would kill to be able to do what you just did this morning. Now stop your complaining!" Imagine how ungrateful I was. There I was thinking about a slow run while looking at a man who couldn't walk. I repented right then. Because of all I have been through in the last couple of years, my run times have gotten much slower but I am so thankful that I can run today.
What are the areas in your life where you are grumbling and complaining? If you look around, there is someone sitting in a wheel chair in that very area you are grumbling about.
And that's another Opinion of the Minion
I do like to go to Starbucks. I go there at least once a day and get at least one Venti Earle Grey tea with cream and artificial sweeteners. It's sort of my breakfast and I do this every day after I work out. In fact, I love to mess with my personal trainer by telling him that right after my workout I am headed to Starbucks.
Well, eight years ago, I was very jealous of the skinny people who would come in there with their workout stuff on. They looked like what I wanted to look like. They were in shape, they were happy, they were skinny and I was jealous. I wanted to look like that but I didn't think I ever would. Now fast forward three years. It was a cold day and I had to wear running tights and a long sleeve shirt. I had on a cap and gloves plus my running shoes and I weighed 185 pounds. As I stood in line at the Starbucks, I thought to myself, "Oh My God! I've become one of them!" It was a great feeling. Be careful how you judge people. If you judge someone, you risk becoming just like them.
This certainly worked out good in my life but there are other areas where I have been very judgmental of people and I had to repent for being so. See I judged my ex-wife and even some other people I know and it was never my place to be judge. I realized that I was judging certain areas of their lives without judging my own life. When I looked into my life, there were parts I liked and parts I didn't. As I took a deeper look into some of the parts I didn't like it made me realize that I have no time to judge others. I have to spend my time getting myself straightened out in those areas. What areas of your life are you critical of other people? Do you sit around at lunch with your friends talking about girls or guys and saying things that aren't nice? Make a decision to say nice things and do nice things to others. You will be glad you did.
There was another time at Starbucks that affected me a little more deeply and I was reminded of this the other day while I was out walking. See, one morning about five years ago, I went into Starbucks to get my usual drink. At that time it was a Venti Carmel Light Frappacino. I was standing in line waiting and I was sort of in a bad mood. I was grumbling to myself about my bad run time from that morning. It was nothing that you would have known from looking at me but I was a little aggrivated because my time was slower than I wanted. As I stood there, I saw a man sitting in a wheel chair. He seemed to be having a pretty good day from what I remember. But here is what hit me like a jack hammer. The Lord said something on the inside of me. He said, "You see that man sitting there? He would kill to be able to do what you just did this morning. Now stop your complaining!" Imagine how ungrateful I was. There I was thinking about a slow run while looking at a man who couldn't walk. I repented right then. Because of all I have been through in the last couple of years, my run times have gotten much slower but I am so thankful that I can run today.
What are the areas in your life where you are grumbling and complaining? If you look around, there is someone sitting in a wheel chair in that very area you are grumbling about.
And that's another Opinion of the Minion
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