I don’t know if your loved ones, or perhaps even your liked ones and you ever get into petty, unimportant, inconsequential disagreements about minor #firstworldproblems type stuff, but, I’ll admit that, in my family, sometimes we do. And, by sometimes, I mean sometimes in the literal sense not in a minimizing and/or sarcastic way. Full disclosure: I received a written release (by text) to include what I am about to share.
The other day, Triple M was dutifully thinking about vehicle usage and miles traveled, probably for resale value purposes or some other guy reason I will never understand. He was contemplating the benefits of switching cars with me for a while because he travels three times as far as me, and his car is newer. During these types of conversations, he’s not only Triple M but rather Alpha Male Triple M. Think Don Draper meets Jack Reacher. At least that is my perception. And when he is “Alpha Male Triple M” you know he means business.
I don’t do well with change, particularly this kind of change because it seems it takes me forever to get used to driving a different car. Adjusting seats forward, mirrors, steering wheel, UGH! However, I lean towards attempting to be an Ephesians 5 kind of wife which meant my response should be, “Whatever you think is best”.
This was fine until he started asking questions about the condition of my car, both aesthetically and mechanically. I mentioned I don’t do well with change, but, did I mention I do less well when feeling questioned? The first question was “How clean is your car? Do I need to clean it? Ephesians 5 was the last thing on my mind when I turned to look at him if you know what I mean. My version of “clean” and his version of “clean” are very different. He knows…why does he ask?!
He followed with, “When you let go of the wheel, does it veer to one side more than another?” This really confused me. I don’t know under what circumstances I would “let go of the wheel”. I think he was trying to ascertain any alignment issues. I don’t notice these things (hence his questions, right?).
Then comes the whopper of the question: “When you drive, do you try to avoid the potholes or do you hit them?” he asked. Now, in his defense, I have in the past mentioned how perhaps, there was a certain pothole on my way to work that, somehow, I hit each and every time for weeks. It therefore wasn’t a wholly unreasonable question. Nonetheless, I was upset. My response was something along the lines of, I totally hit them pretending I was getting Mario points each time; perhaps I should keep score. All this was said in my most pouty, petulant voice I could muster. Then, I reminded him I am not a child :-)
Yet my reaction was one of a child more than of a reasonable, mature person. Here is an excellent idea based on a smart risk assessment but I didn't like it, or like the way it would inconvenience me for maybe a day or two until I got used to it. This encounter brings to the forefront my need of a greater worldview – a view that says, “I realize no one else is like me and I am not like them, but, the goal is not that. The goal is to be more like Him”.
We get confused on this point. The invitation is not to be all alike but rather to be like-minded, having the same love (the love of God Himself), being one in spirit and in mind (Philippians 2:2), to be like minded-be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble (I Peter 3:8), so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 15:6).
I “overheard” this from a good friend: “I truly believe that God will reconcile the world to His ways one day. It is not for me to say how that will look... it is not for me to say what will happen to those who don't follow that path. All I can say is that I believe their fate, and mine, is ultimately in the hands of a loving and merciful God.”
And this is why we share the Good News. Not so that others become like “us” but so that they make their choice, take their path and hopefully, choose to be like-minded as we truly begin to love God, love others, and serve our World. Otherwise, we are just doing “it” wrong.
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