FINGERS IN THE POTATO SALAD

It was early on a beautiful, sunny morning, and we were going on a drive in the mountains and have a picnic. Our destination – my old hometowns. Yes, I have two of them, and can’t ever decide which one is really my hometown. But both are in gorgeous parts of the Colorado mountains. I was looking forward to our journey.

I went early to the grocery store to get a few supplies for our picnic. My hubby wanted some donuts, so I went first to the bakery section. For a while, because of COVID, none of the baked goodies were out and available to pick out on your own. But recently my local store began putting the pastries back onto bulk trays, behind glass doors so shoppers can get a tissue and grab their choices individually.

Of course, after what I saw that morning – I can't see myself doing that again. But hold on – there’s a bigger lesson here.

A young woman, wearing dirty pajamas with pictures of Micky Mouse on them, was trying to decide which delectable treats she wanted. Her son was with her, also in dirty pajamas, and about 10 years old. They were discussing the merits of each donut or pastry in great detail, as they picked each one up and turned it over and tried to decide what flavor it was. There were no bakery tissues in use. Each treat they discussed was handled with bare hands and put back if not chosen. Some were poked to see if there was a filling.

I stood behind them, within appropriate social distancing, and watched in horror the scene in front of me. I decided donuts would not be in our picnic basket that morning.

I felt justified in identifying myself as superior to the people standing between me and the donuts. I mean just look at the way they were dressed. And their behaviors? I had self-righteous disdain for them. Standing there I considered myself to be, well actually, just about perfect. I would never behave that way. I was so much more with it and socially correct than those two icky people. I put my chin up in the air and marched proudly over to the delicatessen to get some potato salad.

As I reached into the cooler for a pre-packaged salad, the top came right off of it. When it did, my fingers accidentally slipped knuckle deep into the creamy potato salad. I wasn’t sure what I should do. I looked around. No one had seen me, and there were no store employees in sight. So, I left the lid sitting beside it so someone would know it had been opened. And then with creamy potato salad fingers I walked around trying to find something to clean the mess off of my hands. I decided potato salad was not on our menu that day either.

I didn’t have tissues in my purse, there were no paper towels in sight. I headed to the aisle where they sold dish towels to find one to wipe my hands on. But I wasn’t planning on actually buying a towel, just using it and leaving it. Hmmm. (OK, here’s where you can be superior to me, knowing you would never do that.)

Suddenly I realized that I was quite inferior to just about anyone because of what was going on in my head about getting the stuff off of my fingers!! Fingers in the donuts, and fingers in the potato salad. Both seemed wrong somehow.

The Holy Spirit whispered in my ear about how one disturbing event was no different than the other, especially if I had carried out my first plan to use a towel and leave it. It would have been funny if I hadn’t been so ashamed of myself. I went to the stand near the front door and got one of the store’s sales flyers and wiped off my hands.

Several lessons came flying at me. There was something about the speck in my neighbor’s eye seeming less important than the large hand-hewn beam in mine. And I could feel that big portion of my yet un-renewed heart beating in my chest. I seem to get this lesson repeated on a regular basis. Judgment and criticism, superiority and my own weaknesses often crowd out the gentle, humble, Christ-like heart I want so much to have. I can climb up on my high horse with the greatest of ease at times, and it is not a pretty sight.

Do you feel at times that you are superior and so much more worthwhile than the person you are interacting with? I’m just going to get real here. If only my husband, my neighbor, the checkout lady, the person walking into Walmart weren’t so far below me in whatever I’m above them in. Life would be a lot better. Why can’t they see how things really should be done, or discussed, or thought about or worn? I mean didn’t they look in the mirror before they left the house?

Are we even capable of recognizing that the superiority and disdain for those we think are less than we are is one of the worst sins we could participate in? When we feel that way about anyone, we are feeling that way about Christ. If we have done it to anyone, we have done it to Him. He loves every person, even those poking their fingers in donuts (or potato salad). We are all the same to Him.

Here's the real problem. Choice and individuality. Two mental rights that are God’s important gifts to us in our DNA, family development environment, and personality. He knows where we came from, where we are weak, what we are going through. He sees us as we could be.

We see ourselves and others through whatever lens we decide to wear that day. But there’s hope. There’s always hope in Jesus.

“ . . For here’s what I’m going to do . . . I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands.” Ezekiel 36:24-28, The Message Version.

This promise is renewed every time we need it, as long as we ask for it. God won’t rip your heart out of your chest and install His pre-programmed databank. First, He sent His Son to show us what love for one another looks like, and how to overcome. Next, He will create circumstances and support that can enable us to make right and better choices, and to recognize the sinfulness of feeling like we are superior to another.

“This righteousness of God comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe [and trust in Him and acknowledge Him as God’s son]. There is no distinction, since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God. And are being justified [declared free of the guilt of sin, made acceptable to God and granted eternal life] as a gift by His [precious, undeserved] grace, through the redemption [the payment for our sin] which is provided in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:22-24, Amplified Bible.

That morning was a time to be humbled, corrected, inspired and changed. I am ever thankful that God does not leave me with my fingers in the potato salad all of the time.

Perhaps you have never experienced feeling better than someone else. But if you have, only He can clean off the mess.