Someone said, “If a bullet doesn’t have your name on it, get out of the way!” That’s an expression that agrees with scripture and here’s a good example:
I had just entered Walgreens and a woman was shouting at two employees. The employees simply listened and tried to explain something to her. I didn’t know what the argument was about (although the woman was the only one who was arguing), but my first instinct was to get involved and help bring peace. At that moment, this scripture occurred to me: “Like one who seizes a dog by the ears is a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own” (Proverbs 26:17).
I decided to hang out for awhile and when the argument didn’t stop, I simply made my purchase and left.
My wife and I call Walgreens “The Greens,” and we joke about turning a trip to The Greens into a date. After all, who knows what adventures may transpire while looking for dental floss or picking up a prescription? If my church does as good a job at affirming visitors as do the employees at The Greens, we’ll be doing our job to help connect people with the living God.
On a subsequent visit to The Greens, I asked a cashier about the woman who had been hollering. The cashier said that the woman occasionally comes in the store and finds some excuse to harangue the employees. The Walgreens folks are used to it. They do their best to make her happy. They never succeed, but they don’t take the irregular behavior personally.
I believe that God’s spirit brought that scripture to my mind at the right time. Proverbs is a resource for wisdom in many situations. Storing up scriptures in our heart not only gives us wisdom, however, but changes us. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 says that the word of God “effectively works in those who believe.” I hope that God is continually working in me so that I can hear His voice more often – even at The Greens!