I have a friend from high school who recently shared a story with me. She was approached by an elderly neighbor gentleman. They hadn’t really gotten to know each other, but he appeared to have been waiting for her to come home. He was agitated, and told her that he had just gotten his trees trimmed and the workers cleaned up all of the debris, but the past few days he has found sticks in his yard. He was telling her this because the only thing that could be happening is that neighborhood kids were messing around and leaving sticks in his yard. Since he “knows she has a couple of kids”, he wanted to address it with her…
My friend is a single mom, working the night shift to pay her bills, with one child in the 6th grade at home with her. The “sticks all over the yard” were obviously small dead pieces that had blown down with the recent weather. She could have gotten defensive/angry and told the old man “The Truth”. Instead, she explained to him that she only has one child who is usually well behaved, but since he is obviously upset, she will have a talk with the neighborhood kids and address the issue with them. Then, every day this past week after coming home from her factory night-shift job and before getting her child up and ready for school, she has walked through the man’s yard and picked up the sticks that plague him.
Is he an old stinkpot/grump, as others have suggested? Is he in the early stages of dementia? Is he too old, too bored, too whatever? Nobody knows, except God. And God lives and loves through my friend. What a great God we have!
How wonderful when we choose to share grace.
Mercy always rejoices over judgment.
It's a beautiful day in God's world be sure to see the good.
Send replies to jsbrink57@gmail.com
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I am leading some trips this year and next. If you are interested in reading about them, or joining in, the links are below.....
Wesley's Ireland with optional London Extension
October 8-17, 2018
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/wesley-in-ireland-2018-with-rev-jeff-brinkman#.WqHrI7puLIU
Holy Land Tour - includes my favorite spots
with optional Jerusalem extension
March 4-13, 2019
http://www.eo.travelwithus.com/tours/hl19030419g17768#.Wt84h7lRHcs
Paris-Normandy River Cruise
October 23-31, 2019
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