I know we sometimes see things that trigger thoughts in our minds. It may not be at that very moment, but what we see can influence us far into the future. As in my case, what I saw many years ago still influences me to some extent even now. When I was probably 9 or 10, I walked past someone who looked to be my age. He was sitting on the ground next to his bicycle, and it was very apparent that he had been sent on an errand to buy a dozen eggs.
As I walked past, I noticed that he was attempting to “fix” some broken eggs. No matter how hard he tried, the broken eggshells would not go back together. His situation and attempted solution is not something that I will easily forget.
I don’t know the circumstances of this boy, but if he had thought through his decision to ride his bike, maybe he would have walked to the store and possibly avoided his predicament. Likewise, if we would think through some of our decisions, we might avoid all sorts of predicaments that we place ourselves in.
Not exactly a pleasant thought, but the decisions we make, and the actions we take in this life, can and do have consequences. Like those broken eggs, there are some things in life that we just cannot fix no matter how hard we try.
I can only imagine how his mother reacted when he got home. Was it with anger in that she made him pay for those broken eggs with his own money, or did she react with love and forgiveness? I would like to think that the boy’s mother reacted with a loving and forgiving attitude toward her son. As we know, the Scriptures teach that our God is loving and forgiving toward us.
1 John 4: 7 – 11 (NKJV)
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Ephesians 4: 31 – 32 (NKJV)
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
I know that this boy’s broken eggs are a simple illustration, but I think it serves as a reminder, there are other things in this life that we cannot fix. But thankfully, there is life with God and Jesus if we make righteous decisions, follow the Word that we have been given, and avoid the predicaments we sometimes find ourselves caught up in.
Written by: Tony Bohannon