Lemuel and the Bank

My friend Lemuel went to the bank the other day to make a deposit. Since there was only one drive-thru lane open he pulled behind the car in front of him that was at the bank teller window. Soon a pickup truck pulled in behind him. Lemuel waited, and waited, and he waited. He could see the lady in the car talking to the teller…and he waited some more. It appeared as if the lady and the teller talked, then didn’t talk, then talked again.

Lemuel, thought, “If she had multiple transactions why didn’t she go inside?”

As Lemuel continued to wait he thought, “If I could pull out of this lane I could park and go inside the bank.” But the pickup truck behind him was close to his rear bumper so that wasn’t a good option.

The minutes passed. Lemuel was pretty patient, he thought that God must just want him to wait before he could get on with his trip to Home Depot.

Finally the sliding tray opened from the teller’s window and the lady in the car retrieved a paper and drove away.

As Lemuel approached the teller’s window and gazed into the bank he saw lines of people at the counter. “Well,” he thought, “looks like if I had gone inside I’d still have to wait.”

The teller, a young lady named Marla, looked at him through the window and apologetically said, “I’m sorry you had to wait, our system is down and we have to do everything by hand.”

Lemuel thought, “Glad I didn’t make a fool of myself by getting impatient or angry – that would have been stupid.” (Of course it would have been stupid no matter the reason for the wait – our day belongs to God).

“Oh, that’s ok,” Lemuel told Marla, and he meant it.

Marla had to go to the main counter inside the bank, fill out a manual receipt, and then have a manager sign it. As she returned and gave Lemuel the receipt through the tray Lemuel looked at her, smiled and said, “I’m sure this has been a tough morning for you…I hope you have a good day.”

Things aren’t always what they appear to be – it’s better to trust God than to jump to conclusions – waiting won’t generally hurt us – and as Lemuel found out when he got to Home Depot, God had a purpose for the wait…but that is the next post.

When A Diagnosis Becomes An Identity

I know I’ve probably written about this before, but I recently had conversations with two people close to me who, when facing challenges, basically gave up working through the challenges because they had been diagnosed with one of many cognitive disabilities that are proliferating. In both instances the diagnosis has become the identity.

This is not only dangerous for my friends, it is dangerous for others, for when they find that others also have a diagnosis that diagnosis becomes how they see others – the identity of others becomes the diagnosis. We don’t need name tags anymore to know who we are, we need diagnosis tags.

How vital it is to know that our identity is in Christ Jesus – Christ is in us and we are in Christ. 

What Might Have Been

David's son was the wisest of men,
but his brains didn't keep him from sin,
his wives turned his heart
from the God of his start
all that's left now is, "what might have been."

[see 1 Kings 11:4].

George Bowers (author and pastor, Woodstock, VA)
http://www.georgebowersministries.com/

As I mediate on my friend's verse it occurs to me that it is no wonder the Book of Proverbs is replete with warnings on the dangers and sin of sexual promiscuity - Solomon had his "what might have beens" and he desired that others avoid the abyss that he, and his witness to God, fell into.

People came from afar to hear the wisdom of Solomon and to see the grandeur of his kingdom - yet what could have been used for God's glory was wasted in large part - because Solomon did not obey the commandment "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me," - he built temples to the idols that his wives worshiped - his sexual promiscuity led to spiritual promiscuity - and rather than model a monogamous relationship with the true and living God for the nations to witness and hopefully emulate - he profaned Jerusalem and the land with idols.

Solomon's brains and the opulence of his kingdom, even the Temple that he built to Yahweh, did not give him a "pass" to sin and desecrate the witness that God had given him. An outward temple means nothing if it is not a reflection of an inner temple. Nothing justifies sin.

If nothing justifies sin and sexual and spiritual promiscuity...perhaps we should be less enthralled with our "good works" and ingenuity and prowess as a people and repent of our wicked promiscuous ways (in all of their forms) - but of course the church, the people of God, must lead the way...it must begin with me...not with you, but with me. Then with us the church. If the nation does not follow...at least we have done what we can do by the grace of God.

Better to do what we can do...even if only God and the angels see...than to live a life of "what might have beens".