Dumpster Diving

“Things are not always as they seem.”

More often than I care to admit, I find myself in embarrassing situations where all I can do is laugh with the people laughing at me. 

Today, for example, I stopped at the gas station on my way home from getting duplicate keys made at The Home Depot.  Following our usual gas station drill, the kids and I rifle through the car and throw all our accumulated trash into the bin near the pump.  (My teenage daughter has been driving that car lately, so today was quite a haul).

When we got home, I realized that the two key duplicates were missing.  My brain flashed back to the gas station.  They had been in a small, lightweight paper bag, so my youngest daughter must have thrown them out.  I quickly retraced our steps.  Standing next to the gas station trash can, I peered inside.  Thankfully it had not been emptied.  I could still see some snack wrappers that were ours.

I looked around and since everyone seemed to be busy filling up their cars, I decided to go for it.  I quickly sorted through the trash on the top.  No luck.  I’d have to dig deeper. Since my arms were too short to reach the bottom of the canister, I pulled off its plastic covering and hauled the bag out on to the concrete.  Throwing stealth to the wind, and gagging a little, I opened the bag, hunched over and started sorting through soda cans, chewed gum, half-filled coffee cups, and used napkins. 

As hard as I tried, I could not find the keys.  As I stood up to put the trash bag back into its container, my eyes met a couple sitting in a big Ford pick up truck on the other side of the gas pump.  Their windows were up, but I knew they were talking about me.  As soon as our eyes met, compassion seemed spread over their faces.

Hoping to explain myself, I walked over and motioned for the man to roll down his window. “We were talking about how we might help you,” he said.  I explained the mystery of the lost keys and we laughed out loud together.  They were thankful I wasn’t dumpster diving and I was thankful for laughter to replace my stress.

 Driving away from the gas station I was reminded of how quick I am to judge others.  I judge the single mom on her phone at the playground.  Shouldn’t she be playing with her toddler?  I judge the homeless man on the corner holding a cardboard sign.  Couldn’t he work at McDonald’s?  

The Bible teaches us in Matthew 7:1-2, “Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and the with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” 

Who have you judged lately?  Could their circumstances be different than what you see?  What if we let compassion replace judgment and kindness replace criticism?   

What if we paused and didn’t jump to conclusions?  We just might be surprised what we discover, like the missing keys that had been in my purse the whole time. 

The Power of Giving God Thanks Will Ignite Your Faith and Change Your World!

Thank You for Being a part of the 3 O’Clock Wake Up Movement