Great day, Garrett Morgan, get it together!

I don't usually trash talk people on my blog, but today I will make an exception. Who is Garrett Morgan you ask? Well, let me tell you a little story (an uninteresting one at that):

The other day, I was driving home from the office, getting ready to turn left on South Columbia Ave, when I noticed something strange happening at that intersection. It was like chaos. There were 11 lanes of traffic (including turning lanes), all full, trying to determine whose turn it was to go next. Clearly these people struggled passing Kindergarten. It was like like watching a bunch of 3-year-olds arguing over who the line leader is.

The stoplight was out. I watched two city police cars drive through (also not seeming to understand the turn-taking process) and not offer to assist what was about to become an ugly mess. I could feel my blood pressure rising and the inner Coach Albertson was ready to come out. Everything was out of sync. Communication broke down all because one stoplight quit working properly.

So, who is Garrett Morgan? This guy:

He invented the stoplight in 1923 and apparently didn't think it a good idea to develop some sort of back up system with a backup of that backup so it wouldn't inconvenience my commute when one of them failed. I say we sue him! What that? He's dead? Oh, well, that's problematic. He also invented gas masks and something that straightens hair? Well, I suppose we should let this one oversight go then. Watch out Morgan...I'm keeping my eye on you!

All this got me to thinking about how little things get us out of sync. Not just things like altering your morning routine and forgetting to put on deodorant as a result. (I'm not the only one, right?)

I'm talking about how little things get us out of sync with God and with others. Someone at work says something that hurts your feelings and it ruins your day, possibly for days. You can't focus on anything else. You start thinking about all the other ways they've hurt you and all the nice things you've done for them. It spills over into your family when you get home, and at the end of the day you certainly don't feel like spending time with God.

One little event, comment, situation, can get us out of sync. Notice I said can, not will. At the stoplight, I could have let my road rage win, but this time I chose to stop, let the preschoolers go on ahead and just smile at the silliness of it all. That's the thing with situations with other people. They may put something on my plate, but once there I get to decide what to do with it. 

In 1 Corinthians 10:5, the Apostle Paul talks about the resources we have as Christians, and yet so often they go unused:

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

Easier said than done, no doubt. We are called to Love God and Love Others (Matthew 22:36-40) Jesus said all of Scripture hangs on these two principles. We are designed to be in sync with God, with others, and with ourselves. Imagine what would happen if we began to "take captive" every thought, every situation, and surrender it to Christ. 

People would take notice. It's almost as though the Apostle Paul knew what he was talking about...like he was inspired or something. 

Read the rest of 1 Corinthians 10 here.