Annoying things....

Thursday, November 13, 2008 at 04:01PM
This image cracks me up. What's funny about it is that I had a Costa Rican teenager show it to me during a mission trip two years ago. It's never quite left me...."Charlie....Charlie...Chaarrrrrlllliiieeee". It gives me nightmares. At the same time, I have that same type of dry humor. It's a love/hate relationship.
How is it that this video still plays in my mind? It's triggered at different times...someone says something or I meet someone named "Charlie". Wow, these things are powerful and often times very annoying.
There are plenty of things that annoy me. On the top of my list would be taking my dog out to "go potty" (you learn these sayings when you have a little girl in the house). I am on the dog's time schedule, not mine. That doesn't sit well with me, especially when it's 4 degrees, raining, and he's out smelling the roses and enjoying the scenery. I tend to say things that I have to apologize for later (just seeing if you are awake...I don't apologize to my dog). But, I do think of what it would be like for someone to put that kind of pressure on me in that vulnerable time...but I digress.
That's just one annoying thing that really gets my goat. There are others of course.
Thank God for his patience. It gives me a standard to shoot for. I recall a time when two blind men were begging on the side of the street (Matt.20:29-34) as the multitudes came walking by, and Jesus. When these guys heard Jesus was passing by, they became annoying (from our point of view). They began to "cry out" saying "Have mercy on us, O Lord, son of David!"
When they cried out like that, the multitude (disciples included I'm sure) told them to be quiet! You know what they did? They got more annoying. The Bible says "they cried out all the more". Here's the difference. We see annoying, just like the crowd. Jesus stood still and called to them. He asked them the question, "What do you want me to do for you?" They responded that "their eyes would be opened".
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. And immediately their eyes received sight, and they followed him.
Next time someone gets on your nerves, remember the compassion of Jesus.
And, next time you have a need in your life, maybe you need to become a little more "annoying".
Steve