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"But let a man examine himself" (1 Corinthians 11:28a).

We often mention the color and interest our Amish neighbors bring into our lives and enjoy sharing about our experiences with them. The other night they stopped by and hitched their horse and buggy up in our driveway right in front of my office window. We visited awhile before going outside to wave them off.  As we walked toward the buggy we observed that their horse had made a generous deposit in our driveway! We laughed together and I told them I was going to write a story with a personal lesson from this.

It did get me to pondering about how God uses all circumstances in our life to teach and illustrate lessons He wants us to learn.  An illustration I share today happened many years ago and I have shared it before, but let me do so again because it's a good lesson.

When our daughter Ester was little we took her to visit her pediatrician. In the waiting room I smelled a dirty diaper type smell (quite common in a setting like that.)  I looked around and thought, "They sure could deodorize this waiting room a lot better."  As I was holding Ester I considered asking Brooksyne if she'd recently bathed her as I thought to myself, "Wow, she sure needs to take a bath."  All through the day I kept getting a whiff of this most pungent smell and grew quite frustrated since I couldn't determine the source. 

That evening when I took my shoes off the problem was revealed.  No!  It wasn't my feet either, as some of you are thinking right now!  I finally discovered that I had some doggie doo doo on one of my shoes and had been walking around with it all day long.  I was the problem!

Paul's gives a simple command for believers in relationship to partaking in Communion.  "But let a man examine himself."  I also believe that's good general advice.  As we go through life we will smell various scents, both pleasant and unpleasant.  We are tempted to assume the unpleasant must be someone else.  We better check ourselves first!


Be encouraged today,


Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Brooksyne's prayer:  Jesus, as You test me in the day to day activities of my life You are examining my heart.  Too often when I fail I cast the blame on someone else or the circumstances at the time.  Give me the courage and determination to look within myself rather than blaming others.   I invite the spiritual scrub brush of Your Holy Word to do the needed cleansing.  Your love is ever before me and Your convicting power will lead me in the way I should go!  It's not by my strength or power, but by walking in Your Spirit that I can cast out wrong attitudes and stop undesirable behavior.   Thank You for never giving up on me!  Amen.

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PS: I recalled today's story yesterday when I again had gotten some dog stuff on my shoe (probably from my own dog this time.) I set off for a long hike, sat down on a rock and took a stick to clean my shoes. That's when I remembered today's story!

I had another experience a couple of weeks ago. I had ridden into town with Jesse in his horse and buggy for some business.  Jesse guided the horse and buggy up to the drive-through lane at the local bank in Elizabethtown.  As Jesse was making a withdrawal the horse was making a deposit.  I wonder how much job training or college education was required for the employee who processed that deposit!