This is what a young woman told me while I was doing volunteer work at McDonald’s one summer. I do not remember her name. I do not remember ever having a conversation with her other than this one, but I remember the two uteruses comment very well.
She told me this after she found out that I was going to college to learn more about God.
Contrary to what you might assume, my studies did not prepare me for this. I had no idea how to respond.
My first thought was, “Isn’t it uteri?” but I was sure she wasn’t looking for a grammar lesson. I didn’t know what to say. What was she expecting me to say? Was this a good thing or was it a serious problem?
We stood uncomfortably by the drive-thru window as I organized my thoughts in silence.
It was awkward.
My brain started to shout at me saying, “Benjamin, say something. Say anything. Do not let this silence continue another second.” So I opened my mouth and said something.
“You should be in a doublemint commercial.”
Yep.
That’s what I said.
She said, “What?” and I said, “Never mind,” and went back to filling drinks.
If I am not prepared, I do not do well. If I do not plan what I am going to say ahead of time, I panic.
As a minister, people say some heavy things to you. They share intimate information with you that you are rarely prepared for. You just have to accept it and trust that God will give you things to say.
However, there is one situation for which every Christian should be prepared.
We should all know exactly what we are going to say when someone starts slandering or gossiping about someone else. We should be prepared for these moments.
A wise man named David Nash shared with me what he says, and it has made all the difference.
“That is none of my business. I think you should talk to them about this.”
These two sentences help by deterring the gossip and suggesting the correct course of action.
You do not have to yell, “Sinner!” and pop them on the forehead. You simply have to be prepared.
You need to be prepared.
Because if we can stop the gossip and slander that plague our churches, we will be able to focus on the grace and peace that Jesus offers instead of the sins of our brothers and sister in Christ.
Contrary to what you might assume, my studies did not prepare me for this. I had no idea how to respond.
My first thought was, “Isn’t it uteri?” but I was sure she wasn’t looking for a grammar lesson. I didn’t know what to say. What was she expecting me to say? Was this a good thing or was it a serious problem?
We stood uncomfortably by the drive-thru window as I organized my thoughts in silence.
It was awkward.
My brain started to shout at me saying, “Benjamin, say something. Say anything. Do not let this silence continue another second.” So I opened my mouth and said something.
“You should be in a doublemint commercial.”
Yep.
That’s what I said.
She said, “What?” and I said, “Never mind,” and went back to filling drinks.
If I am not prepared, I do not do well. If I do not plan what I am going to say ahead of time, I panic.
As a minister, people say some heavy things to you. They share intimate information with you that you are rarely prepared for. You just have to accept it and trust that God will give you things to say.
However, there is one situation for which every Christian should be prepared.
We should all know exactly what we are going to say when someone starts slandering or gossiping about someone else. We should be prepared for these moments.
A wise man named David Nash shared with me what he says, and it has made all the difference.
“That is none of my business. I think you should talk to them about this.”
These two sentences help by deterring the gossip and suggesting the correct course of action.
You do not have to yell, “Sinner!” and pop them on the forehead. You simply have to be prepared.
You need to be prepared.
Because if we can stop the gossip and slander that plague our churches, we will be able to focus on the grace and peace that Jesus offers instead of the sins of our brothers and sister in Christ.
“You should be in a doublemint commercial.”
ReplyDeleteYou need to put a warning label somewhere on here:
WARNING! The following post may contain funny material that could cause you to spew coffee all over your computer screen, resulting in a 5 minute clean up session.
Haha! I thought that was understood.
ReplyDelete