Just Give Me a Minute

The other day our whole family left the house to run to an appointment for my wife, Mindy.  I knew we would be waiting on her for a little bit at the appointment. We rushed around the house dressing our kids, brushing their teeth and putting on their shoes. We packed the three kids up in the car; checked to make sure we had all their gear, and assured ourselves that they were safely locked in. We confirmed that the appliances and lights were turned off and made sure that everything was locked up and good to go. We got in the car. I had my water; Mindy had her famous diet orange soda. We were all the way to the end of the street when I realized something was missing. Oh, this could not be, please don’t let it be, but it was absolutely true….my cell phone was on the counter at home.

I said, “Mindy I forgot my phone.”

She said, “You will only be gone for an hour. You won’t need it.”

My head started spinning with every possible justification: but what if someone calls me? Someone from church may have an emergency. I mean someone could really need me. Then anger reared its ugly head. We were all going to this appointment for her anyway. I am being the nice guy--coming along. And now she tells me I can’t go get my phone. Then I realized that I just wanted it so I could check email, mess with my fantasy baseball team, or just find some kind of distraction to make the waiting time of the appointment go faster. So I did the only thing I could. I just sighed and moved on.

Let me tell you at the beginning of our marriage, I would have blown my top. I would have used all that justification, and then anger to prove my point. I never would have allowed myself to admit the real reasons why I wanted my phone.

The reading this week in Ephesians 4 is big, it is really big! My four year old would say, “Dad, you really want me to take three big bites?” The word this week is asking us to take three big bites.

Humility, Gentleness, and Patience.

I mean, come on, one is enough, but all three? How do we make this work? Every part of our sinful flesh fights against these three attributes. Our flesh is selfish and these particular three things represent just the opposite of selfishness.

But these are the three keys to loving the Body of Christ. If these three things are in our relationships, they flourish the way God intended them. But the minute we slide in these areas, huge fights happen and relationships go through hardship.

Every church, every family, and every person struggles with this.

This week at Mt. Calvary, these three things will be our topic.  We will dive into why they are so difficult, and how God transforms us into humble, gentle, and patient people.