A face full of dirt.
That's the consequence for trying to stop a 2 1/2 year old from throwing a handful of dirt.
And that is precisely what happened to me today.
I was talking with a mother and her little boy was playing in the dirt, as little boys do, but it was time for Mom to go and so in an attempt to help her get her boy to the car, I tried to extract him from the dirt and set him on the path to the car and his hand came back and I got the dirt in my face, up my nose, in my mouth and covering my glasses. Such is life when you are dealing with boys.
But it started me thinking about the consequences of some of our best intended actions. Like trying to reason with the man at the desk next to yours that clicking his pen, incessantly, while you are trying to work, is about to drive you out of your skull, or trying to convince the driver in front of you in the fast lane that is driving about 35 miles an hour that he needs to move over by flashing your high beams at him.
Or trying to convince someone that the spiritual path they are on is a dangerous one and is going to keep them from seeing that all-too-commercialized version of heaven they think they are going to see because they are a "good person".
See, it is our actions, much more than our words, that find a person where they are and make them take notice. Its not the words that tell them what it is to be a Christ-follower or what peace and joy you can reap from such a life. It is our kindness to the unkind, our love for the unlovable, our grace to the undeserving that shows Christ in us. And sometimes, even then, you still get rejected, taunted, laughed at, spit upon or ignored. But the seeds you plant with the person you are showing God's infinite love and compassion to will grow...God can do a great work in them, and you may never know it. The last thing you may remember about that person is the awful way they rejected you, and ultimately your Savior. But Jesus said, "The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost," and in Psalm 118:22, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." Some builders will reject Jesus (through you), but ultimately, He will be lifted up and you along with Him.
So sometimes you will be successful in your good intentions...and sometimes you will end up cast aside, but in it all, God is in control.
Wow...that's a lot to have learned just from a face full of dirt...
