Finding common ground.

My truck is better than your truck! Oh, yeah? Yeah!

I was loading things into the back of my pick-up yesterday morning at a local hardware store. A fellow drove up in a Chevy pick-up and parked beside me. Men can be funny about their vehicle allegiances. I am a diehard Ford guy and look down my nose at other brands. Chevys = Shimmies and Dodges = Dogs. Toyotas, Nissans, and other wannabes are not consider trucks in my humble estimation. (Maybe not so humble....) It is that kind of mindset that might get me into trouble too. For instance, those occasions when one day I'm sitting along the road with a broken down Ford and a fellow might come to my rescue while driving his pretty Dodge! God forbid! But it could happen.

All this bravdo aside, the fellow walked by then stopped and came back to stand and look at my truckbed. he said, what kind of bedcover is that?" I said, "It's a 'Rugged Cover' and I really like it." We had a great talk about the benefits of hauling things in our trucks and the ability to keep them dry with a truckbed cover. There was no posturing as to who had the better truck. There was no pride creeping in to derail an absolute delightful conversation in that parking lot. It was just two men talking guy stuff. We parted company and I believe the divine appointment was another moment of clarity to me about being godly in all my relationships.

I wonder about unrest in our country and in our world. All I tend to see or hear about is the great divisions. It appears we have no common ground in which to talk and discuss issues that threaten to divide and conquer us. In this mornings devotion, a perspective of godly living was offered by John Wesley.

Charity is not simply a term for helping unfortunate people. It is another term for living in love. Our relationships should always be built around God's love and grace. Extending a "good morning" or discussing the finer points of a vehicle might seem trivial, but these small things can certainly change our cultural landscape for the better. Grace abounding in your home, on your street, or better yet in your town would be awesome!!

Our task is to promote Christ. Our praise of His glory can break down walls of hostility and bring widely divided people and people groups together. All this occuring because we swallowed pride and made the kind gesture. I am gaining a new appreciation for guys riding around in non-Fords. Join me won't you and let's promote Jesus in every word uttered and action performed. Peace.