And it happens in October? Suffice it to say 2015 has proven to be very busy since it was a furlough year, extra business came up, and we added more teaching to our schedules. Before we left for the States I felt like I was barely able to keep up with students almost every day of the week, Bible study on Sunday afternoons, and keeping a house. Then we traveled to the States where blogging always takes a backseat. Finally we came back, adjusted for a few days, did a two-week ESL camp in Isaan, and then prepared our teaching schedule. It's been pretty much non-stop activity since then with a few relaxing days sprinkled in around the end of the school semester.
Instead of going back and recapping the past nine months, I'll probably just dive right in to where we are now. Sorry you missed all of the excitement of meeting new family members, visiting with family, getting a new sending church, exploring new parts of the States, and watching God show off for us this year. Let's just say we are amazed at all He has done for us so far this year. He has no problem doing what looks impossible to us.
To get back into the swing of blogging I thought I would combine a bit of my normal routine with something God has been teaching me. It's in the mundane things of life we often don't pay attention to what God might be teaching us. We keep looking for Him in the big things, but He's in the small things too.
On Friday afternoons I walk a little over a mile to catch a truck to ride to the school so I can help Rusty teach. The trucks are usually full, and on this particular Friday the truck was so full the driver motioned for me to sit up front. I'm not a big talker so sitting up front is no highlight of my day. I don't mind listening, but I don't usually have much to say. Of course Rusty wouldn't agree with that at all!
The driver was a lady in her mid-50's and not very happy in her life. I don't really want to recount all of what she said, but there seemed at first to be quite a bit of complaining. Sprinkle in some personal questions about our lives which usually includes how much we pay for rent and some comments about how I'm old, and I was happy to arrive at the school which was a nice way to say I was happy to be out of the truck.
In this day of Twitter and Facebook, the common response would be to immediately tweet or do a status update about the "rude" or "nosy" comments I had just endured. I mean really. This lady should have known that it's not polite to talk about someone's family status or to spend a lot of time complaining. But then there was that nagging by the Holy Spirit in my spirit that kept me from posting my rant. Sometimes keeping it real can be a sin.
God's been using a verse in Proverbs to help temper my responses. Proverbs 18:2 says, "Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions." If I come home, update my status, write a blog post, or tweet the latest thing someone says to me without trying to understand what the person was really saying, it says a lot about me. I would be a fool airing my own opinions. I could get everyone to agree with me or click like in support that this person's comments to me were rude, and yet I would still be the fool because God's Word tells me I need to be interested in understanding not airing my own opinions. I'm really good at talking about what people should or shouldn't say, but I'm not very good at telling myself to listen with mercy-filtered ears.
So I've thought about this woman and prayed for her. I've repented of losing an opportunity to pour truth into her life because I was being foolish. I've thought a lot about the pain she must be feeling because she has children who are not taking care of her now that she's older. I feel compassion for a woman who drives a truck up and down the road all day for not much money. And I feel sorry that she had a foreigner in her truck that chose not be interested in understanding. I pray that God will send someone to speak to her, and I pray that God will help me to be a person who can see through a situation not just see with my eyes. People speak their hurts to us. We can choose to try to understand, or we can air our own opinions. Most of the time we choose to assume we know what the other person meant.
So what should we all do when we're in those situations? If we're in the middle of the situation we can choose to ask questions to help in our understanding, and we can choose to answer whatever comes up with a soft answer. Questions like "What did you mean by ______?" and "Why do you think that way?" can be useful conversation starters for seeking understanding. If we're reflecting upon a situation which has left us hurt or angry, we can choose to think more highly of the other person than we would ourselves. Try asking yourself, "Is there any honorable reason someone might have thought this?" or "Is there some information that I might not know?". Extend mercy liberally, and leave the matter private. It's a post for another time and another day but anytime we go to another person who cannot possibly fix the situation, it is gossip.
Now that I've thought about the situation with the truck driver, I hope I get to meet her again. I'll be better prepared and will greet her with more compassion than the last time. Of course there are so many trucks on the road I rarely get the same one so I hope God sends someone into her life that encourage her and tell her of His wonderful plan for her life. One thing I know for sure, my opportunity to do the right thing will happen whether it's with her or someone else.
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