A Compassion Story

I want to share something interesting with you. Not too long ago I was meeting with a fellow church planter here in San Antonio when I got a call from Cherry. Her car window had been busted out in a parking lot. It was below 30 degrees outside, and the only things taken out of her vehicle were a 15-year-old coat and a pink blanket. Her wallet and phone were left untouched. She drove the car home with the driver’s side window busted out, no coat and in freezing weather. Now before you start wondering why I didn’t do the chivalrous thing, rescue her, and drive the car home myself, I did offer. Cherry can be fiercely independent at times.

When I got home, I surveyed the damage to her car. My immediate thoughts focused on the “inconvenience” and the “cost” of the whole ordeal. But then I remembered the words of Jesus in Luke 6, “If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.”

It’s amazing how Scripture has a tendency to interfere with my fleshly emotions. I wanted to be mad, but the Holy Spirit cautioned me against going down that path. Then I heard from God clearly. “Be thankful that you had a coat to be stolen. The man or woman who took it may have frozen to death. Can you see how I have provided for you?”

Ironically, I found myself praising God for the busted window. The guy who fixed it was a Christian, so he was blessed too. He makes a living off of smashed glass. So the point is, whenever something really, really annoying happens to you, look at it from a fresh perspective. God may be trying to get your attention. Just a thought.

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