Two little boys, ages 8 and 10, were always getting into trouble. The parents had tried to deal with them but had little success. Their reputation was, if there was any trouble in town, these 2 boys were probably involved. One day, the boys mother heard that a preacher in town had been very successful in dealing with children like this, so she asked if he would help by speaking to her boys.
The preacher agreed, but he asked to see them individually. So the mother sent the 8-year-old first, in the morning, with the older boy to see the preacher in the afternoon.
The preacher, a huge man with a booming voice, sat the younger boy down and ask him sternly, “Do you know where God is, son?” The boy’s mouth dropped open, but he made no response, sitting there wide–eyed with his mouth hanging open. So the preacher repeated the question in and even sterner tone, “Where is God?!” Again, the boy made no attempt to answer.
The preacher raised his voice even more and shook his finger and the boys face and bellowed, “Where is God?!!!”
The boy screamed and ran from the room, and went directly home and dove into his closet, slamming the door behind him. When his older brother found him in the closet, he asked, “What happened?” The younger brother, gasping for breath, replied, “We are in BIG trouble this time.” GOD is missing, and they think we did it!”
Have you ever been blamed or punished for something you never did? I guess everyone has at some point in their life. Usually our response is “That this isn’t fair!” One things for sure people are not perfect, parents are not perfect, and life is not fair all the time. Someone said, “Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to chase you because you’re a vegetarian.”
Doing the right thing at the right time, doesn’t guarantee a good outcome, but it does mean you have done right. More times than not it means you will have a good outcome, yet still some will judge your motives and thoughts, as if they knew what was in your heart…
They did this to Jesus. They did this with His disciples. He said, “They hated me, and they will hate you.” He performed miracles, and people said he did it with the devil’s power. Go figure. No matter what you do some people will think bad. Do the right thing anyway! Do the right thing at the right time!
This may mark a change in your life’s direction, and save much pain. It takes strength of character, and holy determination, but it will make a difference in the most important place…. your heart. There is no better feeling, than knowing you are right, no worse feeling than, you are wrong.
For the Christian, it really is not an option, for Christians “march to a different Drummer”, His name is Jesus.
“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (I Peter 2:12).