"So I guess this means you don't want my business?" - Dave's newsletter devotion
Posted by WBFJ | | Posted on 2:52 PM
“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.” James 3:13-18.
I don’t have this whole wisdom thing down just yet. At least according to the definition of it set in the scripture above. This describes the kind of wisdom I want to have but struggle with attaining when I let my pride get in the way.
Last Friday night I was on my way to the station to do the show when I stopped at a local convenience store on University Parkway to get a Diet Sprite. If you know me, you’ll realize that getting a caffeine-free beverage to do the show is a MAJOR step in the right direction. So I was being good on at least two counts: No caffeine and no calories. After deciding to do this, I was feeling pretty righteous in a personal way!
I stop at this particular store quite regularly on Fridays, although not every week. Several months ago I went through a small ordeal with using my debit card. Their system couldn’t read the card and, if I hadn’t had just enough change on me, I wouldn’t have been able to make my purchase. I had forgotten about the experience when I walked up to the cash register with nothing but my debit card. Once again, my card didn’t go through. The manager, who also happened to be working when this happened before, told me my card had been declined. I promptly made him aware that I had at least $300 in my checking account and that the mistake had to have been on his part. We tried again but my card refused to go through. I had no cash on me and proceeded to tell the man that I had used my card at several other places that day and had no problem at all. I also reminded him that I had this issue at his store a few months ago. He looked at me and said “It’s just you. No one else ever has a problem here. I can’t do anything about it.” I don’t know how he meant it but I got fairly angry, fairly quickly. I put my Diet Sprite back in the case and said, on my way out, “If you’re not willing to at least look at your machine to see if there’s a problem with it, I won’t come back in anymore!” For his part, he just looked at me.
My righteous indignation over my perceived injustice (hey I was going to give this store $1.48 of my hard earned cash, right?) lasted until I got my car and felt the needed nudge from the Holy Spirit. I wrestled a bit with it and went on to the next store where I found out, after several unsuccessful attempts at swiping it again, that my card had a smudge on it. The clerk put a plastic bag over my card and swiped it one last time. I had no clue about this trick of the trade but I was glad that it worked!
I went on to do the show knowing that my trip home that night would involve stopping at the first store and apologizing. At first I didn’t want to do it but the more I listened to the Holy Spirit, the more excited I became about what this could do in the life of the stranger I had been mean to. He opened my eyes to the fact that I knew nothing about this man or his circumstances. Most importantly, He told me that, wherever this man is in his life, he still needs Christ.
So after wrapping up the show I went back in not knowing what kind of reaction I would get. After the way I had left, I was just hoping he wouldn’t trip the silent security alarm and have the police come to take me away! After all, this was after midnight. I walked in as he was mopping the floor. He looked up, startled, and I said “I wanted to come back and tell you that I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I’m a Christian but I was a bit frustrated. That’s not how I normally conduct myself. Can you forgive me?” I extended my hand. He took it and said, “Don’t worry about it.” I wish I could say that there’s more to the story but that’s where it ends. God asked me to plant the seed by humbling me and having me show this man the reality of a Christian’s walk in this world. I still can’t claim to be wise but please pray that my attempt to seek the heavenly wisdom that night produces the “harvest of righteousness” in the soul of a convenience store clerk who needs only to look to Jesus Christ to fulfill all of his needs. That’s worth way more than $1.48.
I don’t have this whole wisdom thing down just yet. At least according to the definition of it set in the scripture above. This describes the kind of wisdom I want to have but struggle with attaining when I let my pride get in the way.
Last Friday night I was on my way to the station to do the show when I stopped at a local convenience store on University Parkway to get a Diet Sprite. If you know me, you’ll realize that getting a caffeine-free beverage to do the show is a MAJOR step in the right direction. So I was being good on at least two counts: No caffeine and no calories. After deciding to do this, I was feeling pretty righteous in a personal way!
I stop at this particular store quite regularly on Fridays, although not every week. Several months ago I went through a small ordeal with using my debit card. Their system couldn’t read the card and, if I hadn’t had just enough change on me, I wouldn’t have been able to make my purchase. I had forgotten about the experience when I walked up to the cash register with nothing but my debit card. Once again, my card didn’t go through. The manager, who also happened to be working when this happened before, told me my card had been declined. I promptly made him aware that I had at least $300 in my checking account and that the mistake had to have been on his part. We tried again but my card refused to go through. I had no cash on me and proceeded to tell the man that I had used my card at several other places that day and had no problem at all. I also reminded him that I had this issue at his store a few months ago. He looked at me and said “It’s just you. No one else ever has a problem here. I can’t do anything about it.” I don’t know how he meant it but I got fairly angry, fairly quickly. I put my Diet Sprite back in the case and said, on my way out, “If you’re not willing to at least look at your machine to see if there’s a problem with it, I won’t come back in anymore!” For his part, he just looked at me.
My righteous indignation over my perceived injustice (hey I was going to give this store $1.48 of my hard earned cash, right?) lasted until I got my car and felt the needed nudge from the Holy Spirit. I wrestled a bit with it and went on to the next store where I found out, after several unsuccessful attempts at swiping it again, that my card had a smudge on it. The clerk put a plastic bag over my card and swiped it one last time. I had no clue about this trick of the trade but I was glad that it worked!
I went on to do the show knowing that my trip home that night would involve stopping at the first store and apologizing. At first I didn’t want to do it but the more I listened to the Holy Spirit, the more excited I became about what this could do in the life of the stranger I had been mean to. He opened my eyes to the fact that I knew nothing about this man or his circumstances. Most importantly, He told me that, wherever this man is in his life, he still needs Christ.
So after wrapping up the show I went back in not knowing what kind of reaction I would get. After the way I had left, I was just hoping he wouldn’t trip the silent security alarm and have the police come to take me away! After all, this was after midnight. I walked in as he was mopping the floor. He looked up, startled, and I said “I wanted to come back and tell you that I’m sorry for how I acted earlier. I’m a Christian but I was a bit frustrated. That’s not how I normally conduct myself. Can you forgive me?” I extended my hand. He took it and said, “Don’t worry about it.” I wish I could say that there’s more to the story but that’s where it ends. God asked me to plant the seed by humbling me and having me show this man the reality of a Christian’s walk in this world. I still can’t claim to be wise but please pray that my attempt to seek the heavenly wisdom that night produces the “harvest of righteousness” in the soul of a convenience store clerk who needs only to look to Jesus Christ to fulfill all of his needs. That’s worth way more than $1.48.
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