We were standing in line at the supermarket behind an old guy about my age. I could not help but notice the food he was putting on the conveyor belt was a hodgepodge of very unhealthy items. There were oreo cookies and beef jerky and those were the healthy items. I had already rolled my eyes at my wife when he turned to me and quietly said, “My wife just died. We were married 36 years and I just don’t know what to buy.” As he walked away with a plastic bag in each hand I looked at the checkout girl who had started to cry. If I were a person who uses bad language I would have called myself a very bad name. When will I ever learn to stop being a smart Alex and stop judging people? What is it with me? Do I need to make myself feel superior by putting others down?
Why can I not act like a follower of Jesus? I am so thankful Paul talked about this inner conflict in Romans 7. If he had not I would be extremely depressed, but chapter 8 verse 1 is so wonderful. He asked who can help? Who can rescue us from us and His answer is an anthem that resounds through the universe. He said, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus . . .”
So I am going to stop beating myself up over this lapse, learn a lesson and go ahead and do better next time. That is what being a Christian is about. It is not about being perfect. It is about learning and growing.
Written by Roger Bothwell on February 17, 2017
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