Throwing Bricks

Oh no, not again! Our first real north’er blew in the other day, early in the morning, with some hefty wind, followed by some heavy rain. Well, anyway, I’m having coffee with my friends when my cell rings and the screen announcing it’s my wife calling. I know she’s at work where phone calls are prohibited, so right away I think, “This can’t be good”. Sure enough, the wind had caught something and hurled at her car in the parking lot creasing a big dent in the front fender. Now this parking lot and my wife’s automobiles never have mixed well. It seems no matter where she parks, something happens. One time she started parking way out away from the rest of the traffic, getting tired of door dings and people parking so close she could barely get in the car, and low and behold, an eighteen-wheeler turned too sharp and hit it. Oh well, its days like this I’m happy to have the new attitude of “stuff happens” and getting all upset won’t fix it.
A young and successful executive was traveling down a neighborhood street, going too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids that might dart out from between parked cars when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared, instead, a brick hit the side of his car. He slammed on the brakes and backed his Jag to the spot where the brick had been thrown. The angry driver jumped from his car, grabbed the kid standing there, pushed him up against a parked car shouting, “Just what do you think you’re doing? That’s a brand new car and the brick you threw is going to cost me a lot of money! Why did you do that?” The boy was apologetic, “Please, mister …please, I’m sorry, but I didn’t know what else to do. I threw the brick because no one else would stop.” With tears rolling down his cheek the boy pointed to a spot on the other side of the parked car and said, “It’s my brother. He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can’t lift him up.” Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, “Would you please help me get him back into his chair? He’s hurt and he’s too heavy for me.” Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into his wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. “Thank you and may God bless you”, the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook-up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the car. He kept the dent to remind him of this day.
[Romans 8: 18-35] Are you going through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention? You say no, but take a minute and think about the actions of your spouse, your children, your friends. Are they throwing signals your way trying to get your attention? We all need to get the focus off “me” a little more and start using what we’ve learned in life to benefit others as well as our self. Are you listening when God whispers to your soul or speaks to your heart? When life throws a brick at you, and it hurts real bad, do you blame God or do you go to God for comfort? God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow or sun without rain. He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears and light for the way. God loves you!