Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business.” 2 Thessalonians 3:11
Her name was…no wait, on the possibility that she is still living, I had better change it. So, let’s try again. Her name was Mrs. Luzerno, and I can tell you two things about her. She was a good teacher, and she was a bit stern. Back in the days when my wife Judy and I were newlyweds, and trust me that was a while back, we had one car. I was in the Air Force and for one of the few times in our marriage, Judy was working at a local jewelry store. All that meant, either she had to find a ride to work…or I did. I was elected. It turns out, there was a lady, Mrs. Luzerno, who worked as the secretary for one of the commanders of the aircraft maintenance group which was right down the road from my office. Her route to work happened to take her right by the apartment where Judy and I lived. I asked her if I could catch a ride with her and she agreed. We also agreed to the price of $5.00 a week.
Now before you take that as an absolute confirmation of my tightness with money, this was 1976 or maybe 1977 and not only was $5.00 worth a lot more than it is now, but gas was also still about 32 cents a gallon. And, if you are feeling sympathetic, my sergeant’s pay didn’t go too far. In fact, even with a tight budget we had about twenty dollars a week after paying rent, electricity, and a small car payment. That left just enough to get a haircut and go out once every two weeks on a date night to Shoney’s. Anyway, the deal was set and every morning and every evening, we got to spend some time together. She was quite a bit older than me and like I said…all business. That’s probably why I never called her by her first name…it was always Mrs. Luzerno.
As I said earlier, she was a good teacher and one day she taught me a lesson about good manners…and to this day I have never forgotten it. One day, when she picked me up, she was driving a nice, shiny, new car. Now this wasn’t new to her…it was brand new. Cars have always caught my eye and this one did. It was loaded with 1970’s gadgets and I knew enough to know that it was not cheap. Unfortunately, I didn’t know enough to not ask how much. So, and you’ve already guessed this, I asked her, “Mrs. Luzerno, how much did this cost?” To this day I can still see her face look sterner and her lips grow tight. I knew I had crossed some sort of invisible line. I was in trouble.
Here’s what she said, “Young man (I didn’t even rate a Sergeant) that is none of your business.” Done. Settled. After a few minutes of uncomfortable silence, one of us broke the ice. I don’t think she held it against me but trust me it was a lesson learned. Don’t pry into other people’s business. I’m sure my Momma mentioned that in my growing up, but I must have skipped class that day. And to be honest, it is something I must watch to this day. It has been said that no one really likes a busybody or people who stick their nose where it doesn’t belong. Take it from someone who learned, and still occasionally needs a refresher course, don’t go where you don’t need to go.
One of those practical verses in the Bible is 2 Thessalonians 3:11. It says, “Yet we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business.” Not only is that verse true, I bet it was one of Mrs. Luzerno’s favorite verses. If you suspect you are close to meddling around where you don’t need to meddle, be sure and check in with your Dearest Daddy. He offers anti-meddling lessons all the time. He just might save you from painful encounters of the Mrs. Luzerno kind. He’s got this.
Grits with Grace 