Even had a title picked out.
"Before you judge me"
That one will come later.
Why?
'Cause God just convicted me - of doing exactly what I wanted to write about!
My husband and I were headed back to Menards to return a water heater.
We pull up to the little hut in the service yard. This is where you check in with the attendant before you are allowed to enter. The employee is a woman. She appears to be talking on her cell phone. I hate that. I love what we can do with them but I HATE how rude these devices have made us. She is getting paid to WORK after all.
So begins my immediate harsh judging. "If workers would WORK instead of talking on their phones ...." I can't remember if this was my thought or if I actually said it aloud to my husband.
"Just a minute Carol.." She sets the phone down and heads over to our truck window. Terry hands her the receipt and she says, "sorry about that, I am juggling being a mom and working at the same time."
Ouch.
This a a real woman with a real story.
Tears filled my eyes as I realized what a jerk I was in my heart.
We took care of our business and headed back out.
As she waved us on, Terry overhead some of her conversation.
"I will call dispatch and come down and handle it myself...."
Now I really felt convicted.
I condemned her before I knew her.
I chose judgment instead of grace.
We have been under a Lot of stress lately.
And my hormones are not on my side right now.
And....
Really?
I don't see anywhere in the bible where God says, "you don 't have to love one another today ~ your needs come above everyone else's."
I do know that Philippians 2:4 tells me
Do not merely look out for your own personal interests,
but also for the interests of others.
Forgive me Father for I have sinned.
Again.
Please help me to see others as You see them.
To love them and give them grace.
Because it is by Your Grace that I have been saved.
