THREE LETTER WORDS
Today's reading: Psalm 137-139

Mr. Jones and I had a discussion yesterday at the lumber counter. I'd had it up to the top of my head with his constant use of four-letter words while shopping in my 'mission field', and, well, I squared my shoulders and asked him to stop.

I believe it caught him off guard. He stammered and he stuttered. He began telling me some excuse about having been raised that way, having worked around 'no-goods' who had to be bullied into getting their work done, having gotten into the habit of talking that way. He never apologized. He never told me he wouldn't do it again. He made no promises. He finished writing his check and we parted ways. I'm not sure what I said made any impact, but I felt better about having stated my position on the matter.

I detest the four-letter words a lot of folks in our culture deem necessary to use as a means of expressing themselves. Language like that is disrespectful, rude and of low educational value. Words of that caliber add little to a conversation.

Four-letter words--humphhh!

Then I run across a three-letter word that set my apple cart to tumbling as I had upset Mr. Jones'. It hit square between my eyes. It stared straight in to my heart, directly into my soul. It burned. It made me wiggle in discomfort. It exposed part of me that I'd have just as soon left alone. It's left me listing excuses and looking for a way out of a conversation.

"The Lord will work out his plans for my life..." Psalm 138:8 NLT

His plans. His plans, He says. Not mine. Not the ones I've carefully laid out and penciled in to the planner. Not the plans I've thought about, scheduled and allotted time slots to. Not the plans that I've orchestrated to achieve just what I want--and more.

Mr. Jones may or may not be back in the store. Our chat may or may not have done anything in the way of correcting his social manners. He may choose to have one of the guys wait on him next time he comes in. Either way, the opportunity and the verse have left me a different person. I'm going to watch words more carefully--no, not the words of customers--my own and God's!