What Now?

So the day of Easter Glory is behind us and in my mind I wonder how many of those who had raised their palms and listened to Jesus teaching were now contemplating, what to do now. Where they to continue believing Him, or return to their former ways.  Where they glass half full or glass half empty people?

A story is told of a woman approached her pastor to inform him that she’d no longer be attending his church.

Perplexed by her decision, the pastor pressed her as to why.

“Ah! I saw a woman gossiping about another member; a man that is a hypocrite; the worship team living wrong; people looking at their phone during service; among so many other things wrong in your church,” she replied.

The pastor was sad to hear her reasoning, but not surprised, as he’s heard it all before. That’s why he let her go. But not before she did one final thing for him.

“But before you go, do me a favour: Take a full glass of water and walk around the church three times without spilling a drop on the ground. Afterward, leave the church if you desire.” 

An odd request to say the least, but the woman knew it would be a piece of cake.

She followed his instructions, walked three times around the church with her full glass of water, and returned to him — task completed.

The pastor prompted her with just one more thing before she left:

“Before you leave I want to ask you one more question. When you were walking around the church, did you see anyone gossiping?”

She told him, “no.”

Then he asked if she’d spotted any hypocrites, or come across anyone on their phones.

Again the woman replied, “no.”

Then the pastor offered up this perspective-shattering, thought-provoking analogy that would leave even some nonbelievers shouting “amen.”

“You were focused on the glass, to make sure you didn’t stumble and spill any water. It’s the same with our life. When we keep our eyes on Jesus, we don’t have time to see the mistakes of others. We will reach out a helping hand to them and concentrate on our own walk with the Lord.”

Prayerfully read

 “For this reason I kneel before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen me with power through his Spirit in my inner being,  so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. And I pray that I, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that I may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” Amen (Ephesians 3:14-19 Adapted)