When is When

Did you ever play the game of When with your mom? You know the game in which she pours your drink and you get to say when she's poured enough. It is a tantalizing game of trust and endurance, and for a brief moment as a child, we get to be in charge of something.

As a child, it was pure delight to watch the parental unit sweat it out until I said, "When!" As a parental unit being the one to sweat it out, hoping my child would not allow the milk to overflow, causing more unpleasant consequences.

Of course, there is a flip side too. As a parent, I have succumbed to the temptation to allow the milk to overflow even though I knew I should stop so that my child would get the lesson of consequences. Or I have not stopped when I was given the "When!" Then there is a big mess to clean up. And either way, someone loses faith in the other. Trust is held in a delicate balance.

This is for my friend J.F. and others like me who sometimes don't know when to stop even when we are told to. For the love we feel from our Lord and Savior is so sweet that we are sure that everyone we come into contact with are ready to hear it right now! We have to share it! Right?

No. Sometimes we have to trust that the message will get through without our help. Really? Of course! Our well meaning sharing has a time and place to be shared: God's time and place. Ouch!

But wait! Jesus had something to say about when people say, "When!" to the message of His love and grace. In Luke 10, he commissioned the 70 to go out announcing the Kingdom of God is near. He gave instruction to go out in twos (important: you need a partner) and what to do when the people did not welcome His message. ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town." (Luke 10:11-12 NIV)

If we don't listen when we are told our message is not welcomed, we risk being tossed out, not trusted, and there is a mess. Even if we mess it up, God can help us clean it up. We may not see how or when. God is much kinder to us than our kindly mothers who helped us clean up the other messes of our lives. So J.F. I hope this helps.

Who's the Stranger

I gave a lady from Tunisia a ride from one grocery store to another yesterday. I am not saying this to brag. She spoke very little English and no one seemed to understand her questions. The only word that any of the clerks or those of us standing around did understand was Publix. We were in Kroger.

Publix is about a block from Kroger and across a busy intersection. Aisha (I think, is her name) was on foot. She was confused by the language barrier. Someone in the store sent her to the Spanish speaking clerk as a way of being helpful. They tried.

After a little conversation with God, I offered her a ride to the store after the clerk rang up my groceries. Immediately after she accepted my ride, my mind went wild. "You have a headache. You want to get home. Your car is messy (always). You don't know her."

Really? She does not know me and yet, she accepted a ride from me. Would I accept a ride from her if the tables were turned? Would I allow myself to trust the human kindness? Would I?

I have no idea what I would do if I were in her situation but it is not likely, based on past decisions and experiences.

When immigrants come to our country, they choose to be here in unfamiliar surroundings, eating strange food, observing strange customs, and interacting with strange people. They put everything that they hold dear on hold for a dream of a safer place to live, a better economy, better schools, jobs, etc. They trust us. Imagine that.