There are two things that you should not do if you see me in a supermarket.
The first thing is get behind me in a checkout line. You can be most
certain that the lady just before me is going to try to pay by check -
filling it out with a pen that will only work if shaken after every couple
of letters. It will probably dry up for good right there and send the lady
fumbling back into her overly cluttered purse for another chronically dried
up pen.
The second thing you should never do is take the shopping cart I have just
returned to the store's cart corral. If you do you can expect to end up
with either a cart whose wheels are so mis-aligned that off duty police
officers will stop and ask how many drinks you have had as you struggle to
shop in a straight line or you will end up with a cart whose wheels are
perfectly aligned and equally ceased, thus giving you an aerobic workout
that would leave even the best athlete breathless. In other words - don't
follow me at a supermarket.
The world is full of people you shouldn't follow. Whether it is the gossip
in the pew next to you, the office supply thief at work, or that special
someone who wants to take your relationship to an inappropriate level, we
all need to be on guard against getting behind people who are only going to
lead us away from the commitment we made when first believed in Jesus. In a
world where we must teach children not to take candy from strangers, many of
us need to become more discerning in whom we take off after in the pursuit
of personal happiness or even everyday life direction.
Choosing to follow the wrong person can result in our quickly being far off
the path God has for our respective lives. It is important that we choose
carefully and wisely from amongst the multitude of voices that siren us to
follow them. We must closely compare their invitation to the invitation we
received and accepted from God through Christ. Some may be tempted to take
the seemingly safe and easy way out by becoming loners and following no one.
But that is no option because God has leaders he wants to bring into our
lives for our blessing.
No, the way to move forward in harmony with God's will and plan is the best
way to shop in the same supermarket as me - be careful whom you follow.
--from Pastor Tim's "The Cybersalt Shaker."
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--and found in Entourages Mantle.
