There is nothing like a little indignation about something else to highlight something in your own life that needs some fixing. Really. It is enough to make me want to hide under the covers.
In our neighborhood there is a Christian school. In our region parents often put their kids in private Christian schools for the moral stuff and high standards, not because they are Christian families. The parents of this school are instructed to follow the drop off and pick up procedures, and many do. But then there are those who don't. Because of that we have a parking ban during pick up and drop off hours. But that does not stop parents from parking any ways, and then acting indignant when they get a ticket. It does not stop parents from slowly circling the block and then stopping in the middle of no where (as in not near the curb) to pick up their kids, and acting indignant when the car behind them would honk to get through or they get a ticket. It does not stop the parents from pulling in and out of our drive ways to turn around, and there have been near accidents about this. And the way the parents have been seen double parking to talk and walking their children down the middle of the street (and not moving for cars) I fear that there will one day be an serious accident! But when you honk they look at you with a look of "how dare you".
It hurts my heart when I hear non-Christian neighbors talking about "those Christians" at the school and how rude and terrible they are. It hurts because for some of these neighbors that is the clearest example of Christian behavior they see, even if many of these parents may not even be Christians. And it makes my heart hurt.
I cannot fix every wrong in the world, I know that.
But I want to know how to fix the wrong in my neighborhood.
But I realize that my example is not always great, it stinks sometimes too. I get frustrated and annoyed and worldly and behave just as badly sometimes.
And at the root of the problem is the human insistence to insist on my rights, on my convenience, on my desires.
And I have to give that up.
I have to give that up because what my rights are, what my convenience is, what my desire is must always rank well after what the Lord wants.
And that means that I may be the only counter example that some of my neighbors see.
And that is a very scary responsibility.
But I pray that the Lord will help me to love my family, my friends, and my neighbors as He wills, that He will love them through me.