My thoughts and conversation were dominated by one subject. After asking how the situation was going, my friend said, “You’re grieving your loss of innocence.” I laughed and told her that at my age, innocence was long gone.
Her further explanation gave me a lot to think about.
We’ve been coming to the same area for many years. The people are friendly and respectful. We have shown trust and respect to them in return.
Recently, someone broke that trust and deceived us. We gave him the benefit of the doubt and worked at a resolution. Our efforts were ignored, leaving us with a loss of time, money and trust.
Perhaps we’d been foolish in our actions. We hadn’t had a bad experience up to this point and failed to exercise the caution we should have. My belief in the inherent goodness and honesty of all business people had been broken. My friend was right in her assessment. I’d been innocent and now my eyes were open.
Looking at the situation as a learning experience helped me release the negative feelings I was holding. I was able to let go of the bitterness and anger. My thoughts were no longer dominated by this matter and life became peaceful again.
It was an expensive lesson, but could have been much worse.
As I was thinking about how people who are trusting are sometimes deceived, the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden came to mind. They trusted the innocent looking serpent and allowed him to deceive them. That didn’t turn out well for them or for mankind.
The bottom line is, they didn’t talk to God before making a big decision. Neither did we. We trust He will take care of us, but failed to seek his guidance in this matter.
Maybe my loss of innocence was the only way for God to impress upon me the importance of trusting him and not my own limited understanding. In that case, the lesson was worth the price.
Tag: respect
Milkshake or Margarita?
I did a quick check of the time when I heard the waiter ask the people a few tables over if they’d like coffee, a milkshake or a margarita. It was 10:30 am. My first thought was, “Who would want an alcoholic drink at this time of the morning?”
This was quickly followed by the realization that we were in an international airport. There would be people en route from time zones all over the world. The waiter was taking into consideration that he didn’t know where people were coming from or what their needs were.
A good life lesson had just been presented to me. When I encounter people I really have no accurate way of gauging where they have come from in their lives or what their current needs may be. For this reason I need to be conscious of treating everyone with courtesy and respect.
Jesus set this example and if I keep myself aligned with him it will be easier to see others through his eyes of love and compassion.
O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Psalm 139:1-5