Blog 414 – 09.24.2016

Stay out of my business. Mind your own business. What business is it of yours anyway? We have all heard these expressions usually after offering some unasked for advise or after a judging, condemning or critical remark. People just don’t like it when we mess with their personal business.

There is a great scene in the book and movie Cider House Rules where the foreman of an apple picking crew has a problem with one of his men and a fight is about to break out. He asks the crew member: “Do you know what business you are in? He then flips out a knife and you know by the expert way he does it that he knows how to handle a knife. “I’m in the knife business and I know you don’t want to be in any kind of business but the apple business with me.” The guy he has faced off is wise enough to get back to work.

A twelve year old Jesus already knew what the family business was and I’m not talking about carpentry though that is a noble trade. Jesus’ Father and ours is President and CEO, you might say, of a business I like to call Loving, Inc. The Book says God is Love and that makes us Children of Love.

Paul McCarty sang in the seventies, after his Beatles days, “Who wants to fill the world with silly love songs? But what’s wrong with that? I’d like to know. So here I go again. I love you…” Love as defined in the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians not only keeps no list of wrongs but also hopes and believes the best.

I owe doctors, lawyers, preachers and politicians an apology for failing to do that and for talking bad about them in an early blog. I am changing my mind and if this old dog can learn a few tricks then maybe there is hope for a better, brighter world after all. I heard a statistic on Fox News that 51 percent of the people did not trust a certain politician. You know her name. I immediately thought, in my former way of thinking, “She’s a politician, what’s wrong with the other 49 percent? Are they idiots?” No, I have been an idiot and worse than that not for not remembering what my real business is. I am not in the judging business but the loving business. My heart tells me to love everybody. The harder they seem to be to love the bigger my heart needs to grow. I know most folks have there favorite teams, sports and politics. But I am of the opinion that Loving, Inc. has no preferred customers or clients but offers the same unconditional love to all.

Next time you start a sentence, “I hate…” Remember what business you are truly in and be about your Father’s business. Some of you are so easy to love but some of you, thank God, make my heart grow bigger and for that and you I am so grateful.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David White