I have an order in
which I prefer my groceries be bagged at the checkout line. I put like items
together, fresh veggies with fresh veggies, refrigerated with refrigerated, cans
with cans, etc. I always put taxable items last for two reasons – 1) I want to
make sure I am able to cover the cost of the food items for my family first. If
I find myself short, baggies or paper towels can wait. 2) When you’re loading
grocery bags into the trunk, the bags of taxables is last in the basket,
therefore first in the trunk placed further from the opening. I can work my way
thru the bags placing the refrigerated things (going in last because they were
first in the basket) in the place closest to the opening making them the first
to come out and be addressed. It may sound complex but it isn’t and it makes
putting them away easier. I prioritize what I buy to meet my family’s needs
first. Items of convenience last. My system makes my husband nuts.
Last shopping trip,
the checker put a 5 pound bag of potatoes in with a small produce bag of
mushrooms. As I picked it up to place in the basket, I spotted it and asked if
the delicate mushrooms could go with something else less likely to bruise and
break them. Both the checker and the next one over looked up with a curious
facial expression. My checker said she never thought about how she loaded
things before; she just put stuff in bags.
Tap, tap, tap… Thank
you, Lord.
We are a lot like
the checker when it comes to dealing with people’s feelings. We just toss stuff
out there not paying much attention to how we might affect the other person. A “careless word” in this context is a word spoken rashly or carelessly without
thought as to whether it is pleasing to the Lord or not. It may have been spoken
in anger, or excitement, or exasperation, or under pressure, or in ignorance.
The Scriptures warn, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be
quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not
achieve the righteousness of God.” (James 1:19-20). It
would be difficult to believe a mushroom could inflict any real damage on a raw
potato but in reverse, the mushroom could be ruined. Careless words tossed
about can damage relationships and inflict pain. We cannot dismiss our careless
words as harmless.
"But
I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an
accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be
justified, and by your words you will be condemned." (Matthew
12:36-37).
A distressful
circumstance can be handled with grace and wisdom (mushrooms), or mishandled by
engaging in intemperate or extreme behavior (raw potatoes). And how we handle major
crises often depends on how we have handled the little ones. The Lord expects
us to build strong characters, and permitting “careless words” or “little
faults” to rule our days does not do it.
In other words, we
need be mindful of treating people carefully. Picture our words like soft,
light mushrooms rather than chucking raw, hard potatoes at them. Even a bag of
mushrooms cannot harm like a raw potato. It takes a lot of mushrooms on the
scale to balance out even one raw potato.
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