15Nov
…But It Was the Lord Who Sent It
Driver’s Side (Husband, Wife & Police Officer):
A police officer pulls over a speeding car. The officer says, “I clocked you at 80 mph, sir.” The driver responds, “Gee, officer, I had it on cruise control at 70; perhaps your radar gun needs recalibrating.” Not looking up from her cell phone, the wife says, “Now don’t be silly, dear; you know this car doesn’t have cruise control.”
As the officer writes out the first ticket, the driver gives his wife a stern look and mutters, “Can you please keep your mouth shut?” The wife demurely retorts, “You should be grateful your radar detector did its job.”
As the officer makes out the second ticket for an illegal radar detector, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, “Woman, can’t you be quiet?” The officer frowns and says, “I noticed you’re not wearing your seat belt, sir. That’s an automatic $75 fine.” The driver says, “Yeah, well, you see, officer, I had it on but took it off when you pulled me over so I could get my license out of my back pocket.” The wife says, “Now dear, you know very well you never wear your seat belt.”
As the police officer is writing out the third ticket, the driver turns to his wife and snaps, “Why don’t you stop talking!” The officer, sensing the tension, asks the woman, “Does your husband always talk to you this way, ma’am?” To which she replied, “Only when he’s been drinking.”
Be thankful for people who keep us honest even when it hurts. Like the time mighty King David received Nathan the Prophet’s harsh rebuke. Or as the word of God expresses it, Faithful are the wounds of a friend. (Prov. 27:6) Whoever rebukes a man will afterward find more favor than he who flatters with his tongue. (Prov. 28:23) If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. (Mt. 18:15)
3 Massive Roadblocks to Teachability
Recently, I got called out by my son George and wife Jill over being negative and having a complaining spirit. I got my feelings hurt at first, ran straight to majorly complaining and gripping, obviously, but eventually chose to put aside three massive roadblocks to being teachable. Since all of us are averse to criticism and are quick to repel correction, it’s natural to disregard every “what we need to hear but don’t like to hear” message in three significant ways. Each begins with an M, so here they are.
Method- We see this one all the time. If you get upset over the process by which someone confronted you (i.e., “you’re doing it wrong”), you may likely be correct. That should not, however, negate whatever he or she had to say to you.
Motive- Does it really matter what someone’s motivation was for pointing out a blind spot to you? Maybe they don’t like you. Perhaps they thought you needed to be knocked down a notch or two. They may have felt like teeing off at the next person standing there, and you just happened to be closest. Fine. But can the slightest sliver of truth be found in their accusation? I bet the answer is “yes,” so stick with that.
Messenger- This is a layup. How often do we discount what others have to say (i.e., their message) because we have a problem with them (the messenger)? It’s just not wise.
Christians abandoned judging decades ago to our own detriment. You read that right: we’re paying the price for not loving each other enough to speak hard, straight truths. Did the Lord make clear the importance of running an internal assessment first to see if there is any offensive way in us before addressing an issue with someone else? Absolutely, planks out! But even the specks need to be addressed.
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