"I said. 'I will watch my ways
Lest I sin with my tongue,
I will restrain my mouth as with a muzzle.'"
Psalm 39:1
I know I've told some rather odd stories in the past. This story, too, fits into the rather odd category.
Scott and I were coming home on Thursday from one of our little mini-dates. We had gone to our favorite stand-at-the-counter-and-order Mexican restaurant and had shared a plate of nachos with a Coca-Cola bottled in real glass from Mexico. It's was very good.
The street we took home is kind of half-developed, half rural. One side of the road has a brand new shopping center. The other side is an open field with a flood-control canal where people fish in their lawn chairs. We were headed down this road, almost home, and noticed something black in the middle of the road.
We got closer and closer, and the black thing didn't move. At 50 yards, we could tell it was a bird pre-occupied with something in the road. We got closer and closer, and the bird still didn't move. At 20 yards, we could see that the black bird was pecking at another black bird that was dead in the middle of the road. At 5 yards, the black bird finally decided whatever he was doing wasn't worth his life, and flew away just before we nailed him with our bumper. The bird had almost become road-kill as he pecked at another road kill.
It's something we as humans would never do...peck at somebody who's just been knocked dead by life's circumstances. We would never talk ugly about them or say anything like "after what they did to me, they had it coming." Noonly wild animals with no couth or raising gossip, and bite, and destroy someone who's already had the life beat out of them.
Christians especially don't do that, because they have taken to heart Paul's words in Romans 12:
"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment...
in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. …
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ..
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. …
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written:
"It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Don't peck at the road kill, lest road kill you become.
(This is bits and pieces of Romans 12. The whole chapter is great--you should read it. NIV)
Author's Bio:
I'm a preacher's kid, pastor's wife, and southern belle who married a real cutie from Southern California. Talk about culture clash! Scott and I have four angel boys - Max, Mark, Jack, and Grant. Ok, they're not always angels, but they sure give that impression when you take their picture. Scott and I have been married 17 years, and currently live in Northern California, where we are planting a new church. I also teach 9th grade English.
Copyright Statement:
'Girl Meets God' Copyright 2002-2006 © Melissa Mathews. 'Girl Meets God' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to http://www.studylight.org/col/gmg/ 2) 'Girl Meets God' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
Lest I sin with my tongue,
I will restrain my mouth as with a muzzle.'"
Psalm 39:1
I know I've told some rather odd stories in the past. This story, too, fits into the rather odd category.
Scott and I were coming home on Thursday from one of our little mini-dates. We had gone to our favorite stand-at-the-counter-and-order Mexican restaurant and had shared a plate of nachos with a Coca-Cola bottled in real glass from Mexico. It's was very good.
The street we took home is kind of half-developed, half rural. One side of the road has a brand new shopping center. The other side is an open field with a flood-control canal where people fish in their lawn chairs. We were headed down this road, almost home, and noticed something black in the middle of the road.
We got closer and closer, and the black thing didn't move. At 50 yards, we could tell it was a bird pre-occupied with something in the road. We got closer and closer, and the bird still didn't move. At 20 yards, we could see that the black bird was pecking at another black bird that was dead in the middle of the road. At 5 yards, the black bird finally decided whatever he was doing wasn't worth his life, and flew away just before we nailed him with our bumper. The bird had almost become road-kill as he pecked at another road kill.
It's something we as humans would never do...peck at somebody who's just been knocked dead by life's circumstances. We would never talk ugly about them or say anything like "after what they did to me, they had it coming." Noonly wild animals with no couth or raising gossip, and bite, and destroy someone who's already had the life beat out of them.
Christians especially don't do that, because they have taken to heart Paul's words in Romans 12:
"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment...
in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. …
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ..
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. …
Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written:
"It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Don't peck at the road kill, lest road kill you become.
(This is bits and pieces of Romans 12. The whole chapter is great--you should read it. NIV)
Author's Bio:
I'm a preacher's kid, pastor's wife, and southern belle who married a real cutie from Southern California. Talk about culture clash! Scott and I have four angel boys - Max, Mark, Jack, and Grant. Ok, they're not always angels, but they sure give that impression when you take their picture. Scott and I have been married 17 years, and currently live in Northern California, where we are planting a new church. I also teach 9th grade English.
Copyright Statement:
'Girl Meets God' Copyright 2002-2006 © Melissa Mathews. 'Girl Meets God' articles may be reproduced in whole under the following provisions: 1) A proper credit must be given to the author at the end of each story, along with a link to http://www.studylight.org/col/gmg/ 2) 'Girl Meets God' content may not be arranged or "mirrored" as a competitive online service.
