Warning

 

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. Proverbs 3:13-14 (NIV)

 

As the rays of the sun broke through the darkness, I opened my garage door and pushed my sizable garbage can to the street. To my left, a line of upright garbage cans and recycling bins lined the street. 

 

            But to the right, I saw a vastly different picture. Five huge garbage cans had been tossed onto sidewalks and lawns like a mini tornado hit. Scattered garbage and slit trash bags littered sidewalks and spilled over onto the street. A trail of debris went down both sides of my street. 

 

            On closer inspection, I saw a peanut butter jar and the remains of several meals. Down the street from those five homes, green cans stood like sentinels guarding the neighborhood. 

 

            Conservation areas cover large areas of my development and provide homes for many types of wildlife. From my yard, I can see a lot of animals like eagles, turkeys, deer, ducks, coyote, raccoons and bear. Most of them stay in their natural environment but not always.

 

            There were two possible causes of the mess. Three raccoons played in my oak tree one day. Thankfully, cayenne pepper kept them from returning. The pesky critters can be destructive but would have trouble overturning our giant sized garbage cans. 

 

            The more plausible cause was a hungry bear or two. A bear could easily knock over the cans and rip open bags with their long claws. They rummage through garbage for tasty bits of food. With more and more trees destroyed, their habitat decreases and they resort to leftovers from human meals. 

 

            Our weekly newsletter reminds residents to put garbage out in the morning to prevent bears from venturing onto our streets and into the trash. However, not everyone obeys the warning. 

 

            For a long time, nothing happened on my street so people continued to ignore the danger. One day that changed. Then there were consequences. Fortunately, no one was hurt, there was no permanent damage and the messes were cleaned up. 

 

            Often we experience internal or external warnings about certain attitudes or behaviors. As long as nothing significant happens, we continue. Then one day that changes. We reflect and wonder why we didn’t heed the warnings. We then face unwelcome and perhaps disastrous consequences. That may be the only way we learn and change. 

 

Father, we often ignore warning signs and get ourselves into trouble. We need help listening and obeying. Thank you for not always giving us what we deserve. A

Peeling Shoes

Oh, no. How could I have not noticed? 

            After months of not seeing my friend, we met for lunch at a small Cuban restaurant. For three hours we talked and caught up on our lives during the pandemic. 

            She dropped me off at home. When I took off my shoes, I almost fainted with embarrassment. 

            That morning, I dressed carefully with black pants and a bright, blue sweater. I put on a special necklace and a light amount of make up. 

            Since it was cool, I went to the garage where I found a pair of closed toed, black shoes which I rarely wear in warm, sunny Florida.  It had been over a year since I wore the flats but they fit comfortably when I quickly slipped my feet into them. I hurried to my friend’s waiting car and we were off. 

            In my haste to leave, I never looked down at my shoes although I should have. With months in an extremely hot garage, fake leather peeled off. Not one tiny spot on one shoe but both shoes looked like they had a bad case of sunburn and the resulting peeling. 

            At first, I was mortified that my friend and customers in the restaurant had seen my scarred footwear. Then as I examined the pathetic shoes more closely, I began laughing. The flawed shoes provided the perfect idea for a story. 

            How often have I fixed myself up to look good on the outside but ignored a bad attitude? Perhaps I judged someone who did something I didn’t like. Maybe they didn’t look right for church. If someone noticed my defective shoes, they might have judged me too. 

            My damaged shoes didn’t keep me from enjoying lunch with my friend. However, if I jump to conclusions, the result can affect my peace, relationships and Christian witness. 

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2 NIV)

Lord, help me not jump to conclusions and judge others. Thank you for a sense of humor that helps me laugh at myself.  Amen