Short-Changed
“Give unto the Lord glory and strength,
give to the Lord the glory due His name.”
As she handed me my change from the $20 bill I had given her to pay for my morning diet coke, I faced a familiar quandary – do I check the change right in front of her as they encourage you to do or do I pull away trusting her math and memory skills to have given me the right change. Having always thought that it was a little insulting to count the change with the cashier watching, I chose the smile, thank you, “I’ll check the change later” option. And unfortunately, it wasn’t until I pulled out onto the main street that I realized that I had been short-changed by $10, making for one very expensive diet coke unless I wanted to make two Michigan lefts, park the car knowing it would make me late for work, go in and explain my not checking my change philosophy to a doubting, overworked, and underpaid cashier.
While getting short-changed is never pleasant, think of this – it happens to God all the time, every hour of every day, and by some of those who are closest to Him. And if you think my $10 was bad, God’s getting hit even worse, short-changed in His love for us, in how much He understands what we’re going through, and in His commitment to help us through life’s difficulties. Every time we doubt Him, every time we give up on Him coming through for us, every time we question what He is doing in our lives, we short-change the God who is the very source of our lives. We want to be among those who give Him the glory and honor that He is due.
But the problem goes beyond God: we have to stop short-changing other people. I’d be willing to bet a lot of people short-changed Abraham Lincoln after he lost 8 elections, but he persevered and became one of our greatest, most courageous presidents. Looking back at the courage and determination needed in the face of the challenges our nation faced during the Civil War, those who short-changed his ability made a mistake far worse than the $10 loss I suffered. We have to be those who give people credit for their unique gifts and talents, who believe and show faith in their character and heart, and who encourage them in their life’s journey.
Lastly, in what might seem like an oxymoron, we short-change ourselves. We allow the circumstances we are facing, and the constant comparisons with others, to cause us to doubt our future, our ability, our unique gifts and talents, and God’s plans and purposes for our lives. Yes, it is possible to short-change ourselves; to give ourselves less credit than we deserve, and to paint the future in colors that do not even begin to portray how great God’s plans are for our lives. The time to stop all the short-changing is now!
God Bless
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church
No comments:
Post a Comment