First Baptist Church of Herndon

All In This Together

Linda Soller | Oct 31, 2016

It was a busy Saturday morning as I pushed my grocery cart past one checkout line after another. Why couldn’t they open another line? Finally, I selected a line which seemed shorter. Looking to my left then my right I thought to myself, oh well, we are all in this together. But you know how the story goes. The line to my left suddenly started moving faster. Then the big decision, do I change lines or not. I didn’t, but the person two lines to the left did. Yes, it kept moving faster my tension began to build. That should be me, I saw the fast line first. Silly story? It didn’t seem silly at the time. Such minor inconveniences build and build to form a stressful day. As the stress builds we may find ourselves upset about things which on their own would not have bothered us. We may jump on the bandwagon of complainers and begin to feel we are not being treated fairly. With another shopper behind me in line I just rolled my eyes and grumbled, “Seems extra busy this morning.” Anyone could see I was irritated. The other shopper, not yet stressed, smiled and replied, “It will be worse later. I feel bad for the checkout people.” I suddenly felt foolish. The other shopper was right, and I needed to get a grip.

Our last story in our October Drop-In Class series was about the two criminals who were crucified next to Jesus. They had committed crimes which were routinely punishable by crucifixion. The first criminal chimes in with the crowd’s mocking and chiding of Jesus. He challenges Jesus to save them if he is so great. The second criminal tells the first to be quiet, doesn’t he know that they should not be surprised by their fate, but Jesus had done nothing to deserve such treatment. The second criminal then asks Jesus to remember him in heaven and Jesus offers forgiveness on the spot.  As a class we saw many significant messages in the few verses that tell this story. Not the least of which is remaining in the moment and not getting carried away with the stress or negativity around you.  The first criminal was managing his stress and anxiety by attacking Jesus. The second criminal had come to accept his circumstances, and remaining in the moment he asked for forgiveness.

Daily we see or read of people lashing out, blaming others, denying responsibility, and pointing fingers. As an observer it can be irritating and disappointing. As the target of the aggressive behavior and the hurtful words, it can be scary and discouraging. We can learn from the second criminal in our story to stay in the moment. Don’t try to distract from your own actions by drawing attention to the actions of others. Own what you have done or haven’t done as the case may be. Look to your left, then to your right, and realize we are all in this together. 

Have a great week!    : o)  Linda