Hi Grits Family! Hey, my wife Judy and I are going to be “out of pocket” aka “not available” to write for the next couple of weeks. During that time, we decided to send out some of our past stories. I hope you enjoy the ones we selected and look forward to some “fresh Grits” in a couple of weeks. God bless. Bro. Dewayne
Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.” Ecclesiastes 7:8
We were opposite each other—two fire breathing chariots just waiting. Well, that isn’t exactly how it happened but maybe it was. My wife Judy and I were returning from a trip to Kentucky where grits and a southern draw are standard issue. We were back in our town of Harrisburg and were going to swing by the church to check a couple of things for an event that evening. We were giving away some food boxes and wanted to make sure we were set to go. To get there we had to cross a busy intersection. I pulled up and that’s when I saw him sitting there. He was anxiously waiting for a break in the steady stream of cars. Even from that distance I could see his darting eyes as his sweaty palms gripped his steering wheel.
I pulled up on the opposite side of the road headed in the opposite direction. We were two men, to gladiators of automobiles, about to pass side by side. I knew he was there first, so he had the right a way…that was never in debate. I also knew there would be only a quick window to cross the road. There was no blinker on my opponent’s car—we would pass quickly like two ships in the night. I knew, too, that there was a chance that he would not follow the rules. Blinker or not, he might turn across my lane. Try as I might, I couldn’t read his mind or his intentions.
Suddenly there was a break in the traffic, my left foot moved from my brake to my accelerator, and I was sure the same was happening in the car opposite me. Like I said…two ships in the night…side by side in opposite directions. No deal. No challenge. And, then, yes, it happened.
Instead of going straight as his no blinker indicated he cut across in front of me and turned. I had fallen for the oldest trick in the book. It was the old “I’m really going to turn but I’m not going to tell you” trick! Well, I quickly hit my brakes as he quickly turned in from of my chariot. I confess. I gave him the two hands in the air, “Dude, what are you doing?” gesture and he responded with the two hands in the air, “Dude, I had the right of way” gesture. It was all over in a moment of time. Two gladiators of steel on two totally different wave lengths of communication that left both of us wondering. First, him wondering why I was upset when he clearly had the right of way and second, me wondering why he didn’t let me know he was going to turn in front of me. Hey…blinker equals turn. No blinker equals no turn. Dude.
Are you confused by now? Are you wondering what this is all about? Does any of it really matter? Probably the answer to all three of those questions is, wait for it, no. But it does show how easily it is to miscommunicate our intentions and it also shows just how easy it is for moments of waiting to escalate to moments of tension. And, amazingly, it doesn’t have to involve two gladiators of steel waiting at an intersection. It can easily be the one you are married to, or the ones you gave birth to, or the ones that you work with or, my favorite, the ones you sit next to in worship at church.
But the answer is always the same. Keep your foot on the brake till you know clearly what the other person’s intention is. Just wait, be patient, and most likely you will come out looking a little bit more like Jesus and the more gallant in the exchange. The writer of Ecclesiastes says, “Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.” Hmmm…that’s good. We usually have more time than we think, and we all know the pleasure of letting someone go first. They smile and think, “What a nice person.” And most times, that beats beating someone across an intersection, or to a place in line or to a parking spot.
Ok, you gladiators of steel, all right you Walmart line cutters, it’s time to keep our foot on the brake and our hearts in our chest. Let’s determine that nothing is more important than for a Jesus follower to act like Jesus—at the intersection, in the line, at home or at church. Feeling challenged about now? I know, me too, that’s why it is so important to remember, “He’s got this.” So, ladies and gentlemen…start your engines. Bro. Dewayne
Grits with Grace 