by Tim Patterson
PLYMOUTH, MI – While I was continuing my theological education, Sabrina and I were living in Dallas, Texas. We experienced the good and bad of big city life. The 6:00 am traffic and the smog on hot summer days were sights and sounds we will never forget.
We had very little money at any time, so we looked for ways to entertain ourselves on a pocket full of nothing. One of our favorite pastimes was to go to a local mall and “people watch”. We would find a comfortable location that was as close to the center of the flow of foot traffic as possible and just sit. You can learn a great deal about people and our society, just by careful observations.
This was great fun, but for a short period of one year there was a rash of car thefts at the mall, and a series of breaking into automobiles and stealing stereos and contents. Because of this, many were afraid to patronize this particular mall.
Business dropped and many stores were in jeopardy of closing until the mall association put a great deal of money into security, promotions, and subsidized sales at all the stores. People began to flood back to the mall in herds.
A pastor friend of mine told me the story of an elderly lady in his church who had been afraid to go shopping at this mall, but because of the super sales they were advertising, she had decided to deny her fears and to give into the enticement of a great bargain. (I have since heard this story told about different women at different malls, so I don’t vouch for its veracity. It’s still a great story.)
It was said that her husband wouldn’t go near a mall, but was concerned for her safety, so he made her take their “38 snub nose revolver” with her. He told her, “If you get into trouble, don’t hesitate to show your fire power”. (In order for you to have a better grasp of the situation and setting, this was in 1980!)
Well, she had been shopping for an hour or so and had collected all the bargains she could hold, and made her way to her car. As she approached her white, Buick LA Sabre, she saw two men standing at the doors and one was trying to open the driver's side.
At that moment she dropped her packages, pulled the ‘38” from her purse, spread her legs just like she had seen on the television cop shows, held the pistol with both hands and pointed it at the would-be intruders. “All right you scum bags! Get away from that car or I’ll fill you full of lead”.
The two men didn’t wait to discuss the matter, and went running as fast as they could in opposite directions. She put her gun back in her purse, picked up her packages and walked over to the car. She took her keys from her purse and placed one in the door lock. When she tried to turn the lock, it wouldn’t budge. That’s when she realized she was at the wrong car. Her car was parked several rows over.
Have you ever done anything like that? I mean, leap before you look? Speak before you think? Purchase before you determine if you can afford something? React to a situation of which you do not have a full understanding? Make important decisions based purely on emotion? If so, it is very likely that you have risked causing great damage not only to yourself but to those around you. A term I often use and can easily relate to is “Stepped in Stupid!”
We all do it and most of the time we regret it. It’s a characteristic of our human nature. Or should I say our fallen human nature.
One of my greatest fears is that I will react to a situation and say something that will hurt someone else or cause damage to our relationship. Sadly, this still happens in my life. I have found when I am not at my best physically, spiritually, and emotionally is when I am most susceptible to acting in the “flesh”.
If I am over fatigued, don’t sleep well, don’t eat properly, and let myself get physically depleted, that is when I can succumb to these reactions. I am not giving an excuse, but stating the reasons. I have a choice in those matters, and when I choose poorly, the results are evident.
The same is true in my spiritual life. When I neglect the spiritual disciplines of practicing the presence of Jesus in my life through prayer, study, and meditating on His Word, I am susceptible to inappropriate actions.
Here are some practices that will help you stay out of trouble:
Stop.
Think.
Pray.
Ask God for wisdom.
Use discernment.
Get wise counsel from others.
Men, ask your wives.
Wives, ask you husbands.
But whatever you do, don’t be so quick on the draw and shoot off your mouth until you know what is really going on. Remember, Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; When he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive.[1]
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5 KJV)
"Through presumption comes nothing but strife, But with those who receive counsel is wisdom." (Proverbs 13:10 NASB)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tim Patterson is Executive Director/Treasurer of the Baptist State Convention of Michigan. Elected unanimously in May of 2015, Patterson formerly served for 9 years as pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. He also served as trustee chair and national mobilizer for the North American Mission Board.
[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (Pr 17:28). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.