One of my very favorite songs is “When It’s All Been Said and Done” as performed by Robin Mark. In fact right now I have a song headache because it keeps going through my mind. Not only is the melody memorable but the words speak volumes. The gist of the song is that there is only one thing that matters in life when the day is done. The line that is repeated is “Did I do my best to live for truth, did I live my life for You?”. It hits me hard every time I hear it or sing it. It makes me sit back and re-evaluate my life and my daily actions. One of the reasons I love it so much is that my friend, Ann, accompanied me on her violin while I sang it in church years ago and it reminds me of her as well.
We have so many choices that bombard us daily. We embark on a myriad of tasks and adventures that are planned and unplanned each and every day. There really is so much that can happen in a day that we have little or no control over when you get right down to it but our response is what we do have control over. When we are hit by things that are unpredictable our immediate reaction is what the folks around us are going to remember. Will they remember that our reaction was less than Christ-like or will they recall that we responded to it with grace and mercy? Hopefully as we grow and mature in our faith we will learn to react to difficult situations with Christ-like behavior.
The other day as I checked out at one of my favorite stores the cashier did not greet me, did not acknowledge me or say one single word to me during the entire transaction. Since I could use the machine to process my debit card I guess there was no need for conversation. Even when I picked up my numerous bags (why can I NEVER get out of there for less than $50?) she did not say a word!!! So I looked at her and said “thank you” to which she did not respond at all. I was astonished!!! As I walked out to the car the couple that was behind me in line caught up with me and told me that she didn’t speak to them either and that they had made a big deal of saying thank you as they left but still no response.
So was I showing Christ-like behavior when I thanked that cashier? Probably not because most likely I had a sarcastic tone in my voice but I would like to think that a simple polite exchange in a department store would be an avenue to do the right thing and show Christ’s love in some way. Perhaps I should have really tried to engage her in conversation. Perhaps I should have taken a more active role and taken more interest in her instead of the bags I was packing into my too full cart. But maybe next time…..maybe next time I will remember the words of that song and really try to live my outward life in a way that it demonstrates Christ and shows that I am living daily for Him. One can only hope that we get second chances at things that we don’t do well the first time around.
What do you think about second chances? Do you offer them?
