Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009 "You Talkin' to Me?"

Tsunami Devotional by Steve Keaton

Wednesday, June 3^rd, 2009
Title: You Talkin’ to Me?
Text: Proverbs 15:1 (NIV)
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

I was in line at store the other day and it was moving very slow. The cashier was new. In realized this because I noticed the huge “Trainee” badge she was wearing on her shirt. I’m not sure the badge could have been any bigger. I mean, they should have just put some flashing, neon lights on it, had an enormous arrow pointing at her and made an announcement over the store’s PA system. The young lady seemed scared to death, and the fact that she had an annoyed manager hanging over her shoulder, barking orders at her certainly didn’t help matters at all.

Customer after customer pushed their overflowing buggies forward and stared at the cashier with a look of distain and impatience. My heart went out to her as she dealt with some pretty rude people. But the thing that jumped out at me most was when she was finished with each customer, she would raise her eyes, look at the customer and say, “Thank you for your patience. Have a blessed evening.” Wow! Really? In the middle of a firestorm, she was actually blessing those who were attaching her? What an amazing gift. Instead of glaring back with a harsh look, or ignoring the person all together, this young person, in the midst of the raging waters of supermarket shoppers took the opportunity to bless those who were causing her great stress and pain. And each time, as the customer heard that sweet voice say those words and witnessed those innocent eyes looking at them, they slowed for just a second and responded with a sincere “Thank You.”

Once I left the store, I was consumed by what I had just witnessed. I spent time thinking about how the atmosphere in that grocery story would have been different if the young cashier had, instead of displaying an attitude of Christ’s love, became rude, short with customer or responded in a way that would have thrown fuel on a kindling fire. But there were no harsh words. There was no bad attitude. No sign of frustration. Instead, in its place was a spirit of God, love and self-discipline. The witness of that young person made all the difference in the world, and it was humbling to watch.

How often do we find ourselves in situations similar to this? It is so easy to puff out our chest, dig our heels in and fire back an attitude, words of confrontation or a look for wrath. And often that does happen, even in the lives of those who consider themselves Christ-Followers. Is that what Christ would ask his followers to do? Is that how Christ expects his followers to respond? No. That is a worldly response and when our behavior is such, we are no better than those who curse the name of the Living God.

So next time we find ourselves faced with such a situation. Take a minute and think about what you are doing. We can choose to throw gas on the flame, or we can responding in a way that is loving, inviting and honors the presence and power of the very one we love, praise and serve. Believe me, it could make all the difference in the world. Both for you and the one you bless.

Something to Think About:

· How do you tend to respond in situations like that?

· Are you quick to anger and willing to respond with harsh words or a bad attitude?

· How has that usually worked out for you?

· How would things have been different if you responded with a kind word or an attitude reflective of your relationship with Christ?

· How can you now begin to respond that way? What good could be accomplished?

A Few Minutes with God:

God, I pray that you may give me a spirit of peace and cooperation instead of a spirit of confrontation. Help me to think about the way I act and react, and through those opportunities be a blessing to those who may attack me. Through this I pray that your love will be evident in my response and that you will be honored and glorified, and my behavior may become contagious to those I encounter. Amen.