Yesterday a homeless man cut in front of me in line at a restaurant. I was in a hurry, so initially I was “disturbed”. That emotion was quickly released as I heard him ordering a water and a small item from the junior menu. The total was a $1.07. As he exchanged his three wadded up dollar bills for the .93 cents in change, I saw him reading the box on the counter asking for donations to help local foster children. And without hesitation, he stuffed all .93 cents in the box, and walked away.
Our problems are so small.
“Then Queen Esther answered, "If I have found favor with you, O king, and if it pleases your majesty, grant me my life—this is my petition. And spare my people—this is my request. For I, and my people, have been sold for destruction and slaughter and annihilation. If we had merely been sold as male and female slaves, I would have kept quiet, because no such distress would justify disturbing the king.” – Esther 7:3-4
I guess what hits me today is how big I make my problems when they’re really not big at all. Esther went so far as to say, “Hey, if I were just being sold into slavery I wouldn’t bug you with such a small issue.”
Are you kidding me? “Merely” slavery?
Man, I’ve got a long way to go. Esther speaks of “such” a distress. Reality: Any distress to me is major distress. Any discomfort to me is major discomfort. Yet literally the worse thing that happened to me yesterday was getting cut in front of in line. Seriously.
As Rob Bell puts it, “We are so rich.”
I would add, and spoiled, and entitled, and we’ve lost perspective, and it’s saturated our faith. And this is our starting point. It’s our reality. It’s our place we must acknowledge before we’re going to change.
I think a lot of us avoid those who are without. We avoid considering what we have and what others don’t have. We avoid it to avoid the guilt. It makes us very uncomfortable. But, what I’m amazed by is how when we start at this place, the emotion is not condemnation, more guilt, feeling sorry for myself, etc… it truly sparks hope. I’m literally encouraged, excited, and want to make a difference. It slowly changes the way we feel about our “stuff”, and slowly changes our priorities. I believe with all my heart, that this is at least one of the reasons that Jesus told us to consider the least of these.
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I was feeling a little down today, a little stressed, a little depressed -- and I had such an easy day. The stress in my life is completely self-inflicted... unlike Esther and her people. Great reminder of the perspective we should have.
ReplyDeleteMarch 12, 2009 – Esther 7 - Receding
ReplyDeleteV8 Just as the king returned from the palace garden to the banquet hall, Haman was falling on the couch where Esther was reclining. The king exclaimed, "Will he even molest the queen while she is with me in the house?" As soon as the word left the king's mouth, they covered Haman's face.
Does your reputation precede you or recede you? Haman was probably on his knees begging or something that caused him to fall on the couch while he was petitioning Esther. The king witnessed a scene, which a day earlier would have caused him no worry, yet now causes him to execute a trusted advisor.
My son has been getting in trouble at school. The problem is that he is getting in trouble for typical boy things; a wrestling match on the playground, ‘frogging’ another guy in the arm, hiding something from a girls desk. Worse, he is engaged in the activity with other and he is not always the ringleader. He is just the only one that gets caught. I am now in the middle of teaching him that his previous behavior in school generated a reputation. And now that reputation is receding him – not preceding him.
Haman’s reputation changed in an instant. It changed because of his own behavior and he paid the price.
We get so caught up in our own little world, at least I do. When we something does not go the way I want it to, at work or where ever, my first gut reaction is to move to make it better. Well if so and so does not appreciate me and all that I bring to the table, then I will go somewhere that they do see me for the expert I really am. When I take a step back and gather my focus on God and the world around me, I get a full dose of how full of myself I just was. When I boil it down to the basics, I have salvation. I have a great family. I have a job that pays the bills and keeps a roof that doesn't leak over my family's heads along with putting food on the table and clothes on their backs, is there really more that I could possibly need?? What could be so bad that I would look at my life and say it is bad? God does not grant patience. He teaches it. It is a lesson we should all be taught, repeatedly. - Michael
ReplyDeleteMichael, Great thought on God not granting patience but teaching it. Thanks for sharing.
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