We’ve been vacationing in Florida and I’ve come to a conclusion. You’ve heard the the acronym, EGR? Well, I’ve concluded that old people are EGR people.
Extra. Grace. Required.
They walk slowly. And they walk slowly in the bike lane. And they walk slowly in the bike lane going the wrong direction! And the other day “they” were walking across a street in front of a line of cars trying to turn, and me on my bike waiting for them in the middle of an intersection and I smiled and said “Go ahead” cheerily as all of us waited and they tottered, oblivious to the traffic jam.
But here’s the thing… Even though I was all “no problem” smiley, I’m sure there must have been the tiniest edge to my voice because how I really felt was impatient and inconvenienced. And, you know…”Out of the heart the mouth speaks…” Ugh. There, now you know what a truly horrible, small-minded person I am.
And then at different points during my day I thought, “Boy, kids require a lot of grace!”
And “Drivers require a lot of grace!”
And “John requires a lot of grace!”
And finally… “I require a lot of grace.”
I’m someone’s EGR person!
I wonder what tone of voice God has with all us EGR people? What tone of voice does love have? What tone does grace have?
How do I purify my heart so not only the words and actions are there, but the tone is the tone of Jesus’ voice too? Lord have mercy.
I was doing a Bible study this week that reminded me “We love because He first loved us.” And then we were asked to fill in the blank. “I love __________ because God first loved me.”
I can be gracious only because God was first gracious to me. When I made a wrong turn. Or held up traffic. Or cut someone off. Or mowed someone down. Or broke the law in a million ways. When I turned to Him, He said, “Go ahead now” and the tone of His voice was pure love.
Today I’m trying to be patient and not mow down old people, thanking God for His infinite patience with me.
What’s your experience with the EGR people in your life?
