It's Biblical to conclude that God is kind, e.g. sacrificing his son, shouldering our punishment, giving us life abundant and freedom from death etc. And there may even be some evidence that God is surprising, e.g. speaking to man through a donkey, sending the savior of the world in the form of a baby, ordering mass circumcision etc. But today I was shown God's kindness and unpredictability combined in the action of a man I didn't know.
I parked my car in front of a home where I go to study Greek Orthodoxy every week. The owner of the home, and husband to the teacher of the Orthodox study, was in the driveway washing cars. He looked at me somewhat suspiciously, as I parked my car directly in front of his house, and asked if he could help me with anything. I quickly dissolved his confusion by explaining who I was and that I had come to study. He understood and extended a soapy wet hand, which I gladly shook.
I made a small comment about how he could wash my car after he finished his own. I made sure to accompany the suggestion with an awkward little laugh so that he knew I was joking. I was totally joking.
During the study, I kept thinking about all the unimportant and unrelentingly pesky things that I needed to get done before going to bed tonight. Washing the car was suddenly added to the list of not-so-important things to do. I was so completely distracted by my own unimportant thoughts--my agenda, and my to-do list--that I didn't retain much of the information shared at the study. I wasn't very present at all today.
After the study, I walked out to my car and found it to be glistening beautifully in the sun, all washed up and ready to roar (well it's a Tercel so it won't "roar" per se, but it looked a lot better than it did before.) I laughed a very sincere, shocked and happy laugh to see what this man had done for me; a person he'd just met.
This has made me realize that God is kind and also surprising.
He is kind to have washed my car for me, but He is surprising because He was kind enough to have washed my car for me.
...ramble on...
I parked my car in front of a home where I go to study Greek Orthodoxy every week. The owner of the home, and husband to the teacher of the Orthodox study, was in the driveway washing cars. He looked at me somewhat suspiciously, as I parked my car directly in front of his house, and asked if he could help me with anything. I quickly dissolved his confusion by explaining who I was and that I had come to study. He understood and extended a soapy wet hand, which I gladly shook.
I made a small comment about how he could wash my car after he finished his own. I made sure to accompany the suggestion with an awkward little laugh so that he knew I was joking. I was totally joking.
During the study, I kept thinking about all the unimportant and unrelentingly pesky things that I needed to get done before going to bed tonight. Washing the car was suddenly added to the list of not-so-important things to do. I was so completely distracted by my own unimportant thoughts--my agenda, and my to-do list--that I didn't retain much of the information shared at the study. I wasn't very present at all today.
After the study, I walked out to my car and found it to be glistening beautifully in the sun, all washed up and ready to roar (well it's a Tercel so it won't "roar" per se, but it looked a lot better than it did before.) I laughed a very sincere, shocked and happy laugh to see what this man had done for me; a person he'd just met.
This has made me realize that God is kind and also surprising.
He is kind to have washed my car for me, but He is surprising because He was kind enough to have washed my car for me.
...ramble on...
“After the study, I walked out to my car and found it to be glistening beautifully in the sun, all washed up and ready to roar…” Well, I think that’s what you call true love for your car, don’t you think? ;) Anyway, that’s a good thing! A clean car equates to a longer service life. =)
ReplyDeleteDelsie Maidens