Bono Made Me Think

Looking through those who I follow on Twitter this morning, I came across a link to this 2010 interview with Bono. It’s an excerpt from the book, Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas. Now, I enjoy U2 as much as the next person, but I don’t normally stop my day to read what Bono has to say. Yet there was something about this post that really caught my attention.

Bono has a conversation with the interviewer about his understanding of Christ and grace. As I read, I was struck with how simple his comments were. It made me wonder, “Am I prepared to explain what I believe with such simplicity?” It is not that his answers were simple-minded, but that he was ready to answer. I find that significant…

What about you?

1 Peter 3:15 (English Standard Version)

but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect

The Garbage Truck Driver

A friend just sent me this little story…

Law of the Garbage Truck

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! 
The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. And I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Garbage Truck.’ He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, 
full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they’ll dump it on you.  Don’t take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don’t take their garbage and spread 
it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. The bottom line is that successful people do 
not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life’s too short to wake up in the morning with regrets.

 

After reading this, my mind went pretty quickly to Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:43-48. It reads, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

All of us know that there are going to be times in our day, week, and life in general when we are going to come across people who act as our enemies. It’s sad, but it happens. People dump on us just because we cross their path at the wrong time, or they really are against us and make an effort to be our enemy. It’s going to happen. But what really matters is how we react and respond.

If we are going to take Jesus seriously, then we have a responsibility to do something greater than just smile, wave, and move on… we are directed to actually pray for and display love to those who are against us. I believe the best way for us to not allow the garbage thrown at us to effect us is to pray for and love the garbage truck driver. If I am serious about praying for that person, it will not take long until God has softened my heart towards that person and created in me a Christ-like attitude. Then- even though I may not realize it- I begin to be holy, or perfect, as my heavenly Father is…

Thank you, Green Bay Packers. Thank you.

I honestly do not know if I could convey to you the emotional drama that I went through yesterday afternoon. Finally, after years of waiting, hoping, wishing- my team was finally in the Super Bowl. And yes, I do call them my team. I realize that I have no financial investment in this team. Nor do I live, or have I ever lived in Wisconsin. But this team is my team. Somewhere in the last 28 years of my life, I developed a strong emotional attachment to this team. And yesterday those emotions oozed out of me during an intense four hours of gridiron.

I have to admit, at the end of week 12 during the regular season and all four losses were only losses of 3 points, I really wondered. I wondered how the team could make it if they were not going to finish games strong! But they did it. They pulled it together and came out of the wild card spot to win the Big Game.

It was an amazing game. And it got me thinking. Like I said, I don’t really have any investment in the Packers, but yesterday, you would have thought that my whole life was dependent on the outcome of the game. As my heart raced and my excitement rose, I started wondering about my passion for life and Jesus.

What would my life look like if I had the same passion and emotional investment in following Jesus as I did in following the game yesterday? Would something be different? What would be like if my excitement about worshiping Jesus with other people was at the same level as my excitement about watching the game?

What do you think? What might be different for you? Anything?….