I recall the story of the husband and wife who were backing out of their driveway to go somewhere. The husband was driving with his loving wife in the passenger seat. Seeing the car get closer and closer to their mailbox at the end of the drive, the dialog went something like this:
Wife: Honey, watch out for the mailbox.
Husband: Yes, I see it.
Wife (as the car gets closer still to the mailbox): Watch out for the mailbox!
Husband: I SEE the mailbox!
Wife (as they get closer yet): you’re going to hit the mailbox!
Husband: Don’t worry, I see the ….
(Agonizing scraping sound of metal against metal, and mailbox falling to the ground)
We can imagine and laugh at the conversation that might have followed. But we’ve all been there, right? We are certain that we have the perspective on something while the other person maintains THEY are the ones to ‘see clearly.’ How embarrassing it is when the ‘mailbox’ goes down because of US.
Marcia and I have used this story when counseling young couples, reminding them that sometimes it is helpful to have a code phrase to bring clarity to a discussion. Whether in the home or at work, “I see the mailbox,” may be a good phrase to use to remind us that our vision, however clear it seems to us, may not be the only perspective on the situation.
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.”
Ephesians 5:21
Or in our case…’look out for the metal grate on top of the burn barrrel!’ :0
That’s too long! Have a great day!
I love this and I shared it with my Alzheimer’s and Dementia elders that I live with, in our church today. I also was able to witness last night and today for the first time in years. God just said “do it” and I did. It gave m so much joy, but also I was thanked for it and asked if we could talk more tonight about it.
Great Emily! This is the heart of Go Light Your World; one spark lights another. Darkness is dispelled by the intentional acts of many.
Thanks for constantly teaching me.