Crash!
Three days before Christmas, my husband and I heard the unmistakable sound of breaking glass. We hurried downstairs, thinking that our always-curious cat Quill had somehow knocked over a folding table in our kitchen. On that folding table sat our wedding china that I had washed, dried, and stacked in preparation for the holidays.
My heart sank, thinking our lovely dishes were broken. But it wasn’t the china. Whew!
We finally discovered that the top part of our double-paned back window was shattered. We looked closer and found the culprit – a dirty baseball which had crashed through the window and landed mere inches from our china!
Our backdoor neighbor’s son is an avid baseball player and spends hours practicing his pitching at a backstop. Over the years, my husband has picked up errant baseballs in our backyard and tossed them over the fence into the neighbor’s backyard. Mike also gave the young man permission to come into our backyard whenever he needs to retrieve balls.
Naturally, the young man apologized when Mike talked to him over the fence and when his father came home, they both came over. Mike showed them the broken window and they all chatted amicably. The father said they would gladly pay to replace the window. Again, the young man apologized.
No one got upset. Everyone treated everyone else with courtesy and respect.
Being so close to Christmas, no window repair company could work us in because we needed to leave town. So, Mike and our son-in-law boarded up the window with a tarp, a large piece of cardboard and duct tape. It was the best that could be done until we returned from our travels.
A window repair company later put in a new piece of glass and handed over the bill which amounted to more than $250. The father promptly took care of the bill and life moved on.
You may wonder why I related this story. It’s because this situation could have gone badly if Mike and the young man had not already developed a friendly relationship over the years. And, because Mike remained calm and showed a Christian attitude, all was well. His calm demeanor when things go awry is one of his best qualities.
“After all,” Mike said with a shrug. “It’s just a window.”
Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone took the same attitude when life throws us curveballs? (Pun intended.) Wouldn’t it be nice everyone treated one another with courtesy and respect, neighbors or not?
Scripture teaches us that and more. Here are a few verses to keep in mind.
Luke 10:27 (ESV)
“”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
Matthew 5:16 (ESV)
“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your goods works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
Proverbs 19:11 (ESV)
“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.”
Be encouraged. And remember it’s just a window.