Articles
When Rocks Are Thrown
Let’s say you are a new father driving home from the hospital with your newborn baby and lovely, exhausted wife in the car with you. Suddenly, a car cuts you off, causing you to almost slam on your breaks or swerve off the road. Blood is boiling inside, time is ticking, and you’re so mad that in the blink of an eye a perfect day to a beautiful existence almost vanished before your eyes. Will you roll down the window screaming? Will you blast your horn and angrily follow the maniac in front of you who is everything gone wrong in society? Or will you consider reflecting upon your immediate thirst for blood, take a deep breath, smile, and kiss the hands of the amazing miracles of life sitting next to you as you feel so grateful and relieved that everyone is okay. God is amazing.
Every one of us is unique, and with that we all perceive, experience, and interpret the world around us in our own unique way. We may be able to relate or empathize on some degree what others may be feeling or going through. But unless we are them, we will never know truly know. For all we know, we got cut off because they were going through their own crisis, they were having a bad day, they didn’t see us…the list will never end. God in His ultimate wisdom has left the consequences, the protection, and peace in His care. In this wisdom we have the hope that God will be just in judgment in His time and that He will protect not just our bodies but our souls when our bodies are gone. All of these should give us peace in the moments we have anger, anxiety, pain and fear so that way we may overcome them. Remember He loves us! So much so he sent His own son to die for us (Romans 15)!
In Romans 15 we also are made aware that Paul was given the task of helping to convert those around him to the New Testament teachings of Christ our Lord. We are tasked as disciples to do the same (Matthew 22:36-40). In the moment we were cut off, which option would be more glorifying to God? Not just for yourself, but in front of our family, and a stranger who may very well be a believer or more importantly someone who has not seen or heard Christ before. We have cut off others before, whether we like to admit it or not. Everyone has, that is why when Jesus replied, “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone at her,” no one did (see John 8). Let us remember this and remember the power of God/Christ as we interact with others and life situations.
