The Keys in Your Own Pocket

A couple of Sundays ago, I was sitting in the sanctuary during our Sunday School hour, rehearsing a few songs on my bass.  I enjoy these quiet moments before our worship time, and often I feel like it puts me in the right frame of mind for what will come later that morning.  As I was playing through one of our hymns, my contemplation was broken...

HONK... HONK... HONK.. HONK..!!!

Some foolish person had parked at the church and didn’t know their car alarm was going off...

HONK... HONK... HONK.. HONK..!!!

I couldn’t believe it! It was still going! Didn’t this person know that our Sunday School classes were meeting?  How rude! This is God’s house, not some parking garage!

HONK... HONK... HONK.. HONK..!!!

Ugh!  I can’t believe the inconsiderateness of some people. Maybe I should pray for them... wait a second...

It was then I felt a key shaped object in my right pocket.  In fact, it wasn’t just key shaped-- it was a key.  And it wasn’t just a key, it was a key with a big red “Panic” button on its face-- a panic button that was sitting under the heavy Bass guitar I held in my lap -- a panic button that was sending a signal to my car, parked just outside, right next to our Sunday School classrooms and honking loudly and wildly and now reminding me:

“...Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? 4 How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite!..” (Matthew 7:3-5 NLT)

I don’t think Christ had car alarms in mind when he said this. But sitting in church on a Sunday morning, getting ready for music and preaching, He spoke through the honking. He reminded me that a little humility goes a long way when dealing with one another’s foibles and follies -- or in this case, my own foibles and follies.

Now, where did I put my keys?