1 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT)
It was the Christmas season and I decided to go to a mall to do some shopping. I was in the car with my two kids. We pulled into the parking garage to find a place to park. I live in a pretty congested area so the mall parking garage was packed. I drove around looking, for what seemed like a very long time, for a parking space.
Just in front of me, someone started to pull out. Their reverse lights went on so I slowed and waited. They pulled out and I pulled in. Just as I pulled in, I hear a horn behind me and I look in my rear view mirror to see if there was a problem and there bold as the noonday sun I see a woman flipping me off. If you are not familiar with that term, she was doing a gesture with her hand that showed me her extreme displeasure.
I was surprised by this. She was behind me in the garage so why would she be so upset that I took the space. But more importantly, as I looked in my rear view mirror I recognized her. She went to my church! I sat in my car in complete disbelief. And to be honest, I purposefully didn’t turn around because I was embarrassed for her.
That image of someone from my church sharing hand gestures with me and the angry look on her face has stayed with me all these years and it has been a long time.
Please don’t get me wrong. I am sure in my past I have shared hand gestures with someone. I am sure I’ve been rude and angry at times. And I am sure others have an image of me that is not pretty. But here is why I am writing this post.
Our number one job is to reflect Jesus in everything we do. If the image of this woman is so imprinted on my mind so many years later, that should be a lesson to me regarding the impact of my behaviors on others. I do not want people to watch my behavior and assume anything negative about Jesus. That would be heart breaking. I want them to see him in me.
As we get into the hustle and bustle of the season, as we run here and run there trying to get “the list” done, let’s remember why we celebrate Christmas. Jesus. Only Jesus. And hopefully because we are in a relationship with him, we will behave more like him, even in crowded parking garages.