Sometimes we just have to smile at the news and social media…. or else we’d probably cry at their absurdity. One ‘story’ that comes to mind concerns our President and his recent visit to London. The picture showed President Trump sitting in the chair that once belonged to Winston Churchill. Many people took offense and were quick to give their opinion that our President was not worthy to sit in the chair used by such a renowned hero.
We can see by the look on the President’s face that he was honored to be invited to sit in Churchill’s chair…. and who wouldn’t be? This got me to wondering: would any one ever think it an honor to someday sit where I had sat? Would the little squished down spot at the end of my couch ever be thought of as ‘special’? Probably not, I decided….not to anyone other than my kids and grand kids anyway….but aren’t they the ones that matter?
What kind of impression are we leaving in the minds of our kids and grand kids? Are they the kind of impressions that might help them someday to make better, wiser decisions? What kind of examples are we being? Do we show them to “love one another” by being loving and understanding when dealing with them? Were they listening and watching as we dealt with difficult situations? Did they hear us swear and lose our temper? Is that perhaps why they do the same?
Being a good example at home is one thing, but how we act before others also affects how our kids act in public. Were we rude to the store clerk who kept messing up and there were a dozen people in line? Did we smile even though we were tired and hungry when the waitress took forever to take our order? Did we growl and complain when the fast food service at the drive-through wasn’t quite fast enough? Did we stop and help the lady whose car wouldn’t start or pass on by not giving it a second thought? All these every day situations and how we deal with them shows what kind of people we really are….and our children are watching.
Some people can not wait to get off work and just go home at the end of a stressful day. But what if home is not peaceful when we get there? The baby is crying, older kids fighting, the house is a mess and the washing machine is broken…. What do we do? It depends, for most of us, on what kind of mood we’re in. Perhaps it’s time to take a breath and remember who else is watching and whisper a simple prayer for help before we enter the door.
None of us are perfect, nor are we expected to be, but if we are professing Christians, we have a responsibility to treat others as we wish to be treated. We can’t all be heroes like Winston Churchill, President like Donald Trump or preachers like Billy Graham, but maybe some day our chairs will be worthy for others to sit in. Based on your actions yesterday, will your chair be worthy or will the springs of regret cause them to sit some where else?
