You Give me a Bat; I Give you a Drink

Today we went to visit the home of one of Justen's classmates. Getting lost, we pulled into the parking lot of a small industrial business to turn around and check our directions. Apparently we didn't turn around fast enough for the gentleman who owned the business. He came out to our van with a bat, a bad attitude and a big mouth. Perhaps he saw me and suspected this foreigner was up to no good. Perhaps he was just having a bad day.

On the way back home, I decided that the "missionary thing to do" (the Christlike thing, more like), would be to show him a little grace. It was a hot day, so I bought a nice cold drink from the vending machine and, being careful to park a distance away, walked it up to his office. He froze when he saw me come in. I think he actually wondered if I came back with my own bat. It felt great to graciously apologize for using his parking lot, and place the drink on the counter in front of him. Christ's words in Romans 12:20 are always good advice.