Last night was Halloween for those of you that didn’t know (it was also Reformation day, a slightly lesser known fact). A group of friends and I went to the International House Of Pancakes, or IHOP. Someone had told me of a wonder called the pumpkin pancake, and I felt the need to try one. So, we show up, are sitting around the table cracking jokes, and our waitress comes up. She is wearing a dress thingy, but the top was rather low cut, to put it mildly. Myself and the other guys do our best not to look at her as we give our orders. When she leaves, we all joke about it and complain a little that she’s being rather rude to wear something like that in a family restaurant. We talk a little, and she brings out our meal. This time, its a little more of a joke as we avoid eye contact with her, a few quiet laughs at the extremes to which we are going. We then pray, eat our meal, chat for a little while, pay, and leave. We head out to the parking lot to stand in a circle (as is necessary after all good meals) and are chatting some more, when this rather sketch dude smoking a cigarette walks up and asks us if we liked our waitress. We sat their frozen for a second, wondering if it was a trick question. Finally one of us spoke up and said sure, we liked her. The sketch dude said good cause that was his fiance. We all laughed about how weird that was after he left, and then headed back to campus. I didn’t think anything of it until later that night. I was sitting in my room, and the Holy Spirit began to convict me. I began asking myself if we had acted rightly towards that girl at the IHOP. Would Jesus have avoided all eye contact, to the point of being rude? Would he have laughed about her as she walked away. We were acting just like a bunch Pharisees, thinking we were better because of the way we dressed. I couldn’t help but think of the woman at the well. An adulteress and a samaritan, the “religious” people would not have associated with her. He dress was cut too low, if you will. But Jesus went up to her and shared his love. Dang. We missed it. All the times we talk about loving like Christ, being a witness, all the times we trash the Pharisees, and here we were doing the exact same thing. Then I remembered seeing the sketch dude. I remembered seeing him sitting at a booth kinda near us as we walked in. I realized what had happened. He had been watching us. He watched us and we walked in and sat down. He watched us as we avoided eye contact with his fiance. He watched us as we talked and laughed about her behind her back. He watched us as we acted like we were better than her, and he watched us as we prayed before our meal. Oh conviction you sting so sweetly.
So what should we have done? It is important not to lust after a woman, or put yourself in situations of danger, but where is the line? Obviously we crossed it. How do you show the love of Jesus in that situation? Talk to me. Oh, and how do you show the love of Jesus in the situation you’re in? You know the one. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you.
Father,
I pray that we would exemplify your love in every situation. I humbly ask forgiveness for my arrogance and selfishness. I ask that you would guide all of us in those tough situations, and teach us how to love like you. I pray that those people will not be turned off to you because of our foolishness and sin. We need you so much. Please increase our love. In your precious name.
Amen.
