There Is Hope for You, Yet

 January 3, 2024

Wednesday

Philippians 1:6 (NASB 2020) 6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus.

My wife and I flew back from Texas. She said she would get the bags if I would get the car in long-term parking and bring it just outside of baggage claim. Amazingly, I found the car and brought it around. The airport police were making sure that no one was parking and going in so I went around a couple times until my wife would come out with the bags. The third time she was waiting for me with one bad and I pulled over. 

While my wife went back in to retrieve the other bag the airport policewoman said that I needed to go around. I told her that my wife just went in to get the other bag. 

She proceed to act as if she was about to write a parking ticket. I exploded. I understood why they needed to keep the traffic flowing, but this seemed ridiculous! I got back in my car and started to go around the airport again as I yelled at the policewoman. 

My wife came out and wondered where I had gone. I was still mad and said some more things to the policewoman when I got back around. 

After I calmed down, I was so ashamed of my actions. Sure, I can justify what I said by being tired, hungry and the unreasonableness of what was going on, but that won’t truly justify my actions before the Lord. No, I didn’t act like I knew Jesus. I also wasn’t following His example of being ill treated but not returning ill treatment.

It is both accurate and easy for me to say that I have a long ways to go. I can even admit that I have preached this self-unlearned message before. I wasn’t anything like I had exhorted others to be.

I have one comfort that still doesn’t excuse my actions. Jesus is still working on me. I am an uncompleted project. This won’t excuse the next time I act this way but it does reveal there is hope for me yet.