“Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
Philippians 1:27
This was the scripture reference for our devotional last night. One of the questions we were asked following the reading was “Who do you need help with when it comes to living out today’s verse? Who did I need help living out the gospel in front of? My 17 year old (Friday) son and ex-husband share the unique ability to push my buttons and my mom and I used to argue quite a bit, but other than that I really couldn’t think of anyone. I guess I’m doing OK, right? Right…
This morning I was quickly reminded of 3 people/groups that I need help to model Christlike behavior:
1. People who are mean to animals. (My neighbors have been keeping their dog in a metal shed 24/7 and I seriously doubt it has food or water except for what my daughter gives it over the fence as it sticks it’s head out the shed window. I approached them, but the situation remains the same, so I called Animal Control today. I feel bad for the dog and for them, but I still have a lot of anger toward them regarding the issue and I’m not sure how to apply this verse yet. I am acting nicely toward them, but I’m not feeling the love)
2. Yucky people whose kids run wild at the doctor’s office. (Again, I was pleasant and smiled, but irritated and judge-y inside. Two parents, two kids – what’s the problem? Why do you two have to argue in public about who should go get the 1 year old who keeps running off? I used to be a single mom with two small kids and no help! Plus, take a bath and stop snapping your fingers at your kid like they’re a dog! Maybe they are really poor or homeless. Maybe their parents abused them. Maybe their water got turned off and they couldn’t shower. Maybe they’re just really young and will turn it around at some point. Maybe I should have struck up a conversation with them and told them about our contemporary worship service with free child care. I need real help on this one)
3. People who won’t let me change lanes and then I have to ride behind them in stop and go traffic for a couple of miles staring at the hypocritical smiley face they have plastered to the back of their truck. I’m sure even Paul would have understood my difficulty with this one, but nonetheless I must work on not only modeling, but truly having Christlike behavior.
Whatever happens…
this is really awesome.