Early this afternoon, I drove up to school to write a letter of recommendation for one of our seniors and afterwards, planned to lift at my fitness club, several blocks away. As I came to the corner of Fondren and Willowbend, I saw the light was green for my right turn. I slowed down and clicked on the signal. Lo and behold, there, stopped in the turning lane to make a left onto Fondren, was a car identical to mine; 2010 pale blue Honda Fit! I smiled and waved. The lady in my auto twin waved back, hit me with two thumbs up, and flashed the biggest smile I've seen in a very long time. I glowed from that encounter, carried out through two closed car windows, for the rest of the afternoon.
I really like my car. It carries many memories for me. It was paid for by my mother and father who lived frugally and invested wisely and left their children some money when they passed on. It holds great memories of wonderful basketball trips with three of my teams of middle school girls. (We had a teacher several years ago who insisted on saying the color was periwinkle, a distinction I tried to ignore!) You know, I have no idea how the lady in the other feels about her 2010 pale blue Honda Fit- I hope she has similar good feelings. If I saw her in the grocery store, I would not recognize her but for four or five seconds at a stop light in Houston, we recognized each other. It's amazing how I made a connection wordlessly with someone I'll likely never meet.
In 1968, Catholic priest Peter Scholtes wrote a song entitled "They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love.'' I remember knowing it by the title ''We Are One In the Spirit.'' Popular in devotionals and church camps, Scholtes' short hymn became popular quickly. It was based on Jesus' teaching to His apostles in John 13:35 where He teaches them,
"By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
What a great way to identify believers! In our school, and in many others, visitors must get a name tag at the front desk with a picture of their drivers' license printed plainly for all to see. As a safety precaution, we have to know who belongs and who doesn't. But in the world, Jesus says we should not need a picture ID for the populace to recognize who we really are. It should be obvious by the way we treat each other and the love that radiates from our daily walk. And while driving a Honda Fit is nice, it's not mandatory. Somewhere in Houston tonight, there's a nice woman who gave me something to write about. I'm grateful and keep repping your Honda Fit! I'll be watching for you at the corner of Fondren and Willowbend!
Applicable quote of the day:
"People get very thoughtful when they are in cars. I no longer care for cars. I don't collect them."
Mick Jagger
God bless,
Steve
Luke 18:1
www.hawleybooks.com
E-mail me at steve@hawleybooks.com
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