I was at Walmart the other day, well, the other evening. What I was looking for is not important, (though it happened to be a couple of attachable hard drives). Upon leaving, I remembered the approximate area of the parking lot where I had parked my car, but perhaps not the exact row. But after walking in a southerly direction for a couple of minutes, I found it. My 2015 silver Nissan Altima.
As I recall now, I clicked my key fob and heard the familiar
sound of the door unlocking. Swinging open said door, I sat down in the
driver’s seat. But not just any driver’s seat…someone else’s driver’s seat! In
the split second that I had been sitting behind the steering wheel of what was
becoming an increasingly unfamiliar vehicle, I turned my head to the right, and
noticed a couple of even more unfamiliar canvass bags on the passenger seat,
and a couple plastic bags on the floor.
Well, as you might imagine, no one had to beg me to get out of
the car in which I had just spent all of 1.5 seconds! My posterior had hardly
had time to say “thank you very much” than I was on my feet again, and walking
back to my own car. For I had no sooner dismounted the wrong vehicle than I
recognized my own vehicle on the next row over. (Funny thing. Silver colored
sedans look very much alike in the dark of night).
As I approached my car, I looked behind me, and to the left
and right to see if anyone had noticed my rather glaring error. Thankfully, it
appeared only God noticed my little snafu, (and, of course, He ain’t a
telling).
Pt. 2
Safely back in my own car, I touched the ignition button, and
drove out of the parking lot. And as I pulled into traffic a slowly unfolding
blog began, well, unfolding in my mind.
While it seemed altogether inconceivable that my car fob had
been capable of unlocking the wrong vehicle, I was convinced that is exactly
what it had done. (Of course, it is possible that the stranger’s car had been
left unlocked, but why would anyone leave their ‘ride’ unlocked with so much
merchandise in the seat and on the floor)?
I was in the wrong car at the right time. And in spite my
“accidental like” B&E (legal term) I was suddenly in a position to walk
away (or drive away) with not only some potentially valuable merchandise that
wasn’t mine, but with the four-wheeled conveyance itself.
And, indeed, I might have done exactly that had my “magical”
key fob been capable of starting the stranger’s car, and had I decided I
preferred the wrong car more than the right one.
And as strange and foolish as this decision may have been, as
a counselor I have encountered far too many clients who have made rashly
inconceivable decisions which ended up very badly.
I refer to this sort of behavior as “Short Term Satisfaction
vs. Long Term Results.”
But I believe far too many people are prone to emulate such a
recurring behavior pattern. For whether “accidental like” or a premeditated
action, far too many people walk around with this mindset. Given the unexpected
or expected opportunity to “get in the wrong car,” admire the merchandise, and
drive away, they will choose short term satisfaction and “drive away” every
time.
And, of course, the “wrong car” might easily correspond to
involving one’s self in an affair, the use of illegal substances, taking something which doesn’t belong to us,
or simply robbing God by failing to fulfill one’s destiny.
As scripture assures us,
“These things ought not to be.”
Afterward
I love the admonition of Ephesians 4:22,24.
“Take off the old man. Put on the new man.”
An equally valid interpretation of that passage is,
“Take off the old mindset. Put on the new mindset.”
Very much like (purposely) taking off a dirty shirt at the end
of your work day, and (purposely) putting on a clean shirt.
As believers I think we have an obligation to do what we do “on
purpose.” We are all responsible to embrace an “on purpose” mindset. For if we
are prone to recurring bouts of “getting in the wrong car” and driving it away
we are likely to wreck our lives and the lives of those whom we love best.
Whatever we do we must do “on purpose.” Only wrecks happen
“accidental like.”
by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright pending
Afterward
I love the admonition of Ephesians 4:22,24.
“Take off the old man. Put on the new man.”
An equally valid interpretation of that passage is,
“Take off the old mindset. Put on the new mindset.”
Very much like (purposely) taking off a dirty shirt at the end
of your work day, and (purposely) putting on a clean shirt.
As believers I think we have an obligation to do what we do “on
purpose.” We are all responsible to embrace an “on purpose” mindset. For if we
are prone to recurring bouts of “getting in the wrong car” and driving it away
we are likely to wreck our lives and the lives of those whom we love best.
Whatever we do we must do “on purpose.” Only wrecks happen “accidental
like.”
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