John 13:34 (BBE)
34 I give you a new law: Have love one for another; even as I have had love for you, so are you to have love one for another.
While Tom Wiles was university chaplain at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, he picked up Leonard Sweet at the airport in his new Ford pickup to take him to a leadership conference. Since Sweet was still mourning the trade-in of his Dodge truck, the two men immediately bonded, sharing truck stories and laughing at the bumper-sticker truism “Nothing is more beautiful than a man and his truck.” Sweet tells what happened next:
As I climbed into Tom’s 2002 Ranger for the ride back to the airport a day later, I noticed two big scrapes by the passenger door. “What happened?” I asked.
“My neighbor’s basketball post fell on the truck,” Tom replied sadly.
“You’re kidding! How awful,” I said. “This truck is so new I can smell it.”
“What’s even worse is my neighbor doesn’t feel responsible for the damage.”
I immediately rose to my friend’s defense. “Did you contact your insurance company? How are you going to get him to pay for it?” I asked.
“This has been a real spiritual journey for me,” Tom replied. “After a lot of soul-searching and discussions with my wife about hiring an attorney, it came down to this: I can either be in the right, or I can be in a relationship with my neighbor. Since my neighbor will probably be with me longer than this truck, I decided that I’d rather be in a relationship than be right. Besides, trucks are meant to be banged up, so I got mine initiated into the real world a bit earlier than I expected.”
Remember Mary Wheeler in your prayers. She is recovering from an infection and hospitalized. Ailene Reynolds should be home. She had a gall stone removed. And tomorrow, Marilyn Reedy finally has that knee replaced.
As a part of 40 Days, pray today for someone you don’t like. It is the highest expression of love. Have a blessed day.
Michael