What's in your mirror?

Before I start let me just say that I just LOVE Hickory Grove Baptist Church!! What an AMAZING day of worship! Our North Campus pastor Rev. Steve Livengood brought the Word this morning and what a Word it was!!!

Ok, now to it...

Yesterday was an interesting day for me. A neighbor down the street was having a yard sale and my kids RAN over there first thing, fistfuls of change in hand, to come back with their "treasures". After their 3rd visit and more junk, I mean treasures in hand I decided I should go down and take a look myself. When I figured out whose house it was I was excited to see that it was a Christian family and hoped they may have some Christian fiction books. (disappointed that they didn't)

There were several cars there and the lady of the house was out telling everyone that her children were going on a mission trip this summer and this yard sale was their fund raiser. She said that several family's had donated items (she had a TON of stuff) and that all proceeds were going to cover their trip. It was so great to see these teens out there yard saleing for Jesus! WOW!!

Just when I started to do a bit of braggin' on them it happened. An older woman approached the hostess of the sale and asked if she would take 1/2 price on a pair of flip flops. The hostess then announced - loud enough for all shoppers to hear - that there would be NO deals cut at this sale since she had just explained to us all that the money was for her kids mission trip. (tension started to build) Several shoppers decided to go ahead and leave but my husband and I were stuck between the house and the exit. haha

The older shopper said she didn't think the shoes were worth the asking price to which the hostess replied "Then leave and go to Goodwill. They'll have your pricing there." Needless to say the bickering just went on and on until the older shopper stomped to her car, called the hostess a few choice words (while she was firing her "clean" darts right back) and then the bomb dropped. The older shopper said those words that no one EVER wants to hear "And she calls herself a Christian?". OUCH!

There we were, in the firing zone. I turned and all other shoppers had cleared out and my man and I were stuck. My knee jerk reaction was to run. Then I wanted to run to the older shopper and say "NO, NO, wait!! That's not the way REAL Christians are!!" Then I wanted to look at the hostess and say "WAY TO GO"! Fortunately God held my lips together and then parted the piles of clothes so that my man and I could exit on dry land! teehee

Since that happened I have sat here and thought about the many times I know that people have looked at me and said "And she calls herself a Christian?" OUCH! The jerk, I mean, nice man who took my prime parking spot at the mall. The lady at the drive-thru who had the nerve to forget my straw and napkins! The teller at the bank who has the gall to ask for my driver's license! OUCH INDEED!!!

More than anything it is my prayer that when I walk away from people their response will be "What's with her? I want whatever she's got! Why are you so happy?" Lord don't let me forget that what I do to the least of these I do to you! Don't let me forget that when I see my fellow Christians stumble to take a little glance at the scars on my own knees!! Thank you for your grace and mercy and more than anything else help me show it to EVERYONE I come in contact with!! Remind not to focus on my own reflection but focus on you and merely glance at my own reflection and not to even think of lookin' in anyone else's mirror!!! Thank you Jesus!