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Scripture: John 7:24
Don’t judge according to appearances. Judge with right judgment.
Thought for the Day: Last night, I ran to a store that I don’t usually visit. While I was there, I picked up some items I would be needing for my chili in the Big Chili Cook Off this Sunday. As I returned to my car and was putting my bags in the backseat, a guy approached me and asked about my car. We chatted for a couple of minutes, and then he began to explain how his family needed some food. He hoped I could give him a few dollars. I don’t usually carry cash, and in this case, I had nothing…maybe a nickel on the floor of the car. He pointed to his kids who, according to him, hadn’t eaten all day. In that moment, it hit me – I had purchased some oranges. As I turned to grab them from the car, I looked a little more closely at the man’s shirt. It was a Confederate flag with an incredibly racist slogan on it. There was this moment when I wanted to just climb into the car and drive off. I was so appalled and angry about what I had just read, but I went ahead and pulled out two oranges. I handed them to the guy with a bit of a Jesus-critique of his shirt. He took the two oranges while also suggesting what I could do with any other oranges I might have in the car…something that is probably not anatomically possible. As I drove off, I was filled with a plethora of thoughts and emotions. Should I have withheld the oranges from the kids because of their father’s shirt – should I have not cast judgment upon the individual – should I have called him out, but also gone the extra mile by going back into the store and buying the whole family a meal. I’m not inviting anyone else to offer an opinion or critique at this point. In the short drive home, I think I covered all the options in my head. In the end, the right ethical and moral response is not always clear. We make judgment calls in the moment, and I often pray that these quick moments of so-called discernment are done with grace. But it also made me realize how important it is to practice the faith. And maybe that’s what Lent teaches us – we need to prepare ourselves the best way possible for those moments when we are called upon to make a decision that we can only hope reveals God.
Prayer: Make me, Lord, just a bit more ready for those moments in life when I am called upon to live out the Gospel, especially when living out the Gospel in the moment isn’t very clear. Amen.
ARE YOU READY
Come out and support
the 2nd Annual
Cypress Creek Chili Cook-Off
Noon – 1:30pm in the Gymn
Raising Money for Mission
(You’ll vote with your dollar bills)
ALSO THIS SUNDAY
Blood Drive
8:30am – Noon
Considering giving the gift of life.
