They whipped around me then cut back in, forcing me to brake hard to keep from smashing into their tail. Then one of them mooned us before their beat up Chevy blew blue smoke and went wildly down the road and out of sight. We were traveling through northern Idaho (go figure) and headed for Spokane.
It couldn't have been miles when we came upon one of the most beautiful scenes I could imagine: a car with two lighted candy machines on top the roof. The car was dressed out in black and white and the driver even wore a uniform -nice! And in front of this state trooper's vehicle was some much more somber occupants of the old Chevy. This was simply wonderful. I was so happy! I smiled and laughed at the same time (I wasn't chewing gum though). It was simply wonderful to see those jerks get their just reward. I remember hoping they were getting a very big ticket. Maybe they'd get hauled off to the local slammer.
For a moment let's imagine I was tuned into the conversation God was wanting t
o have with me. Maybe it would go like this: "Bruce, hey, stop it. I want you to be praying for those kids, not all giddy about the payback they're getting."God pauses for one second and I interrupt, "You can't be serious? You're not cool with my feelings . . ." God tries to bring it back to a conversation, but I've got to make my point. "But God, those idiots deserve to get a ticket."
There's this awkward silence for a couple of seconds, then God pastes over the screen of my mind this pop-up of when I was sixteen and having fun in my yellow Charger - "God, that's not fair. I never mooned anyone and I . . ."
God's turn to interrupt - "Your yellow Charger was cool but you already know what I want from you Bruce; I want you to trust my way as really best for your life. Celebrating the troubles of those rednecks, even if it may be what needed to happen, is not the way I want you to use your thoughts. Stop and listen and you'll know how to pray for them. I think maybe you're really just happy about your own personal justice. You let those guys' actions change the way you viewed yourself. You were covering up some mistruth talk going on in your head. Bruce, no matter how someone treats you, you are a great guy because I say so. And yes Bruce, it was kind of funny."
Reality? I didn't listen to what God was trying to share with me that day. It was several years later. This wisdom saying for today does bug me sometimes, especially when I'm hungry for my own justice. But every time I take one of those trust walks I find so much that would have been lost if I had trusted my way of thinking. We can still be difference makers in "bad" people's lives. Without God's life inside us we're all selfish and self-absorbed.
What kind of conversation does God want to have with you right now? The time listening (even if you consciously hear nothing) could transform your whole day. Ask yourself, "Why would this wisdom saying be good for me?"
Question: Do you listen enough?
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