A United Methodist Pastor's Theological Reflections

"But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory (nikos) through our Lord Jesus Christ." - I Corinthians 15:57


Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Dave's Deep Thoughts

 
 
Here's Pastor Dave McDowell's weekly devotional that he sends out to members of his church. Dave is my brother and serves as the Music Minister at Stewartstown UMC in PA.
 
Sometimes the problem isn't the real problem.
Let me explain.....

I was traveling home from our family cottage.
It's about a 2 1/2 hour trip.

30 minutes into the trip,
I decided to stop at a convenient store
to pick up a soda.

I have greatly reduced my intake of sodas
the last 6 months to improve my dietary habits.
But I had a craving for one as I was driving.

I was in an out,
as is the flow in such a store.

90 minutes later,
I needed to make a phone call.
I pulled over and stopped
and realized my phone was nowhere to be found.

I had made a call in the first 5 minutes of the trip,
so I knew I hadn't left it at the cottage.

It had to be at the convenience store.
It was my only stop.

I tried calling my cell phone.
No one answered.

I didn't have time to return and retrieve it.
Since I was planning a trip back up to the cottage the next weekend,
I figured I could call the store,
have them hold the phone,
and pick it up in 6 days.

Like most people,
I have become very dependent upon my phone,
but I decided I could survive without it for a week.

THE PROBLEM WAS,

I couldn't remember the name of the convenience store.
I have a pastor acquaintance who lives in that town,
so I planned to call him and ask him the name of the store.

THE PROBLEM WAS
I didn't have his phone number.
So I called directory assistance
They found someone who had the same last name
and same first initial listed in that town.
It must be him, I thought.

When I called,
an older lady answered.
This is not good, I thought.

Hello,
I gave her my name and asked for my friend.
It was a bad connection
Who is this? she said
I repeated my name and asked again for my friend.
Who?
Her voice was raising to an uncomfortable level.

You don't know me,
but I just drove through your town,
and need to know the name of the convenience store
on the south side of town.

What? Who is this?

This was not going well.
In the background I heard an older man's voice.
It was definitely not my friend.

He said,
Erma, it's a scam artist.
Hang up!

Wait, I pleaded
I'm not trying to scam you,
I pulled out my ace and said,
I'm a pastor.

And I just need to know
the name of the convenience store on the south....
CLICK.........dial tone.

So much for my ace.
I was at a loss.

THE PROBLEM WAS
all I needed was the name of the store.
And I couldn't find anyone to help me.

I dialed directory assistance again.
Thinking if I could talk to anyone in the town,
they would know the name of the store, I said
Please give me the phone number of any business in town

THE PROBLEM WAS
I just realized that it was Labor Day.
Most businesses were closed.

I explained to the operator my dilemma.
She had no solution.
I was getting desperate

Wait, I said
There's a grocery store in that town
It was open today.
Can you get me the number?

She was able to find it.

I called the grocery store.
A woman answered.
I explained my problem,
and asked her if she knew the name of the convenience store.
 
She knew of the store, but couldn't recall the name.
She started to ask other employees.
No one could recall the name of the store.

I was beginning to feel that my phone had been sucked into the twilight zone.

I was so desperate, that I was about to ask this kind lady,
if someone from the store could walk
the two blocks to the convenience store
and return my call with the name.
Suddenly someone in the background
shouted out the chain name of the store.

That's it! I said.
Could I possible impose on you to look up the number in the phone book?
They looked it up.

THE PROBLEM WAS

The store wasn't listed in the phone book, at least by the chain name.
My frustration level was going sky high.

I thanked the kind lady and the crowd of employees
who had tried to help me.
And then I hung up.

I had run out of options.
But I remembered the source of all information..........the internet.
I looked up the convenience chain
to find the number of that store.

There was no listing of a store in that town.
Arrrrrgggggghhhhhh!

So I called the closest store in that chain.
Once again explained my dilemma to a complete stranger.
I asked the store employee if they had a listing of all the stores in the area.
Oh yeah, he said.

THE PROBLEM WAS

It's not listed, he said
That's strange, because I know there is a store in that town.

Double Arrrrrggggghhhhhhh!

I hung up the phone.
I couldn't think of anything else I could do
besides driving 2 hours to pick up my phone.

Then my phone rang.
It was the kind lady at the grocery store.

We found the number for the store.
It's listed under another name.
The number is.....

I think heard the Hallelujah Chorus,
and bottles of champagne popping in the background.

I think I was crying tears of joy as I thanked the kind lady.
She could have easily ignored
the strange request of this stranger.
But she didn't.

Not only did she try to assist me,
but she continued to go the extra mile after she had hung up the first time.
It certainly wasn't convenient for her to call me back.

But she did.
And because of her,
she made my life a lot easier.

I learned a lot that day.

#1 Sodas are really bad for you, in more ways than one.
#2 Being a pastor doesn't make you sound less scary to older ladies
#3 The internet does not have all the answers
and most importantly,

#4 People who step out of their convenience to help a stranger,
know the heart of God.

It made me examine how hospitable I am to strangers.
How willing am I when it is not convenient for me.
How gracious am I when I don't know the other person.

You see the PROBLEM IS not about convenience or familiarity.
It is about recognizing that a stranger is just as important as a brother,
because according to Jesus, the stranger IS my brother.

Thanks you kind lady.
Someday on my way through,
I will stop by your store to thank you in person.

I just won't buy a soda.

Whoever compels you to go one mile,
go with him two.
Give to him who asks of you.
and do not turn away from him
who wants to borrow from you.
Matthew 5:41-42
.

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