It was one of those beautiful days that make you glad you live in Oregon. That evening found us on a tree covered patio, watching an occasional motor boat go by on the Clackamas River. A quiet fence-leaning conversation while listening to the birds made me think how blessed I am to have friends so willing to share their home.
Later, Don and I enjoyed his spa. How I love a good hot spa! Unlike everyone I know Don does not get in and out in fifteen or twenty minutes. We were in the spa for most of the evening. Good coffee, a great spa and wonderful conversation rank high on my 'what do you want to do' list.
We talked about our kids, Native American Theology, the History Channel, and more. Eventually we got around to the pot holes in the highway of life. We concluded what we knew before we started; we've made poor choices and reaped what we planted. Our reactions or responses to the consequences and wounds of those choices have shaped and formed us into who we are today. In other words, we're all screwed up. Some of us are more skillful at hiding our scars than others, but we all pay for what we've done or didn't do.
Don gave him the money. In his heart he figured the ring was probably worth several hundred dollars. If the man returned fine, but if he didn't return that was better still. After the stranger left, another man, over-hearing the conversation offered to buy the ring from Don, but he didn't want to sell it.
The stranger never returned and Don returned home with his prize. He took it to a jeweler and had it appraised. Its value was less than fifty bucks. Don was not upset. He was convicted of the greed that motivated him to give the man the fifty bucks in the first place. That same greed motivated the man who sold him the ring and the other stranger who offered to buy it. Three men participated in the same impulse with the same intention; however, the consequence of his financial loss shaped Don positively. Often we point our finger at someone else when the thing that upsets us is part of who we are. I was convicted by Don's conviction.
How often do we push the envelope to get the best deal, look for distressed houses because the couple divorced, or super deals because someone lost their job? Is it any wonder the non-churched or post-churched complain about the lack of integrity in Christians?
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