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Snow was falling down outside my window as I woke up and got dressed eager for the day. My parents had gone on a vacation to California to see my relatives. This was the first time that my parents had left my brother, Van, and I alone home for the week. I was a senior in high school and my brother was a freshman. I had just got my license earlier that year, and my uncle Ray had given me his old beater as a present. Van and I had named the car Eeyore because it was a ugly color gray, a cloud of smoke followed it everywhere it went, and the bumper kept falling off. I really didn’t mind, for it was a car. It was more than most other students in my school had including my best friend, May. This is one of the reasons May was sleeping over at my house for the whole week. The other reason was that May was, even though we had a lot of fun and all three enjoyed each other, Van and I were less likely to get into trouble with May around the house. I knew it would be the best week ever as all three of us jumped in the car excited to go to McDonald’s for breakfast. The driveway of my parent’s house was very steep, and, in my limited driving experience, I didn’t think about how ice, fresh snow, and a steep hill made for a bad combination. Within seconds of shifting into gear, the car rolled down the hill out of control. All of us screamed as the car slide and turned every which way. The car did stop but not until it had landed itself backwards in front yard with a snow bank on one side and the cable box on the other side. At this point, we got out of the car and realized I would have to maneuver the car onto the road. I placed Van on the side with the cable box and gave him clear instructions, “Van, tell me when I hit the cable box.”
Van nodded, and May sat by my side in the car for moral support. We backed the car up slowly and with much care.
“Van, how are looking?” May shouted out the window always the careful one. Van looked up and said, “You are doing great.” All of a sudden, there was a huge “thump”.
“You hit it!” Van yelled laughing as May and I looked at each other with terror.
“Van, YOU DIDN’T WARN US!” May and I yelled back at him as we both wondered what my parents would think about this situation.
“You told me to tell you when you hit the cable box—not before you hit it,” Van said rolling in laughter as May and I got out of the car and tackled him into the snow. We, then, fell to the ground, also, rolling in laughter.
This event comes to my mind every time God calls me to “speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4: 25)” to another Christian. There are times when another Christian (or ourselves) will begin to put themselves in situations or walk down a path that will take them away from Jesus Christ instead of into a deeper relationship with him. God states that we are to love each other so much that we are to protect one another by being honest with each other. If we see someone going down the wrong path and do not warn them of the danger, we are held responsible for that person. After we speak the truth to them, the person is the only one responsible for their choice (Ezekiel 33: 7-9). We, as Christians, are to speak the truth with great care to each other before (and not just when) one of us the hits metaphorical cable box or what can be called as “bottom”. We need to warn and keep each other found going down roads that will only lead others to heartache, pain, and turmoil. Christians are not to speak the truth to be right or out of pride, but we are to speak the truth for the benefit of others. We are always to speak the truth found in the Bible that will always lead us to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.
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