In yesterday’s online sermon, our pastor used an illustration from an article he had read. Namely, what would it be like if we, as individuals, showed mercy and kindness within our family, friends, neighbors by the way in which we interact- In this day and age of divisiveness, can we refrain from telling folks that their perceptions or ideas are wrong or can we be open to admit that our thoughts/ideas could be wrong? What would happen if we stayed silent in those instances when we want to speak or conversely spoke, when we naturally remain quiet? What would the world chatter look like?

I have been thinking of some quotes that I have heard recently. What would society be like if, just for a short amount of time, we practiced these quotes for a month? What would the interactions look like in our families, our neighborhoods, our towns, our country, our world?

God is in the details.

Questionable to whom the quote is attributed. Most frequently it is attributed to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (An architect- who also attributed to saying, “less is more”). But it is also attributed to Aby Warburg (An artist). "Le bon Dieu est dans le détail". The Good God Is in the detail, has been attributed to the author Gustave Flaubert.

I am thinking that if we truly believed that God was in the details, would we leave those details to Him? What would our actions look like then? My husband and I recently attended a zoom wedding. The bride and groom had engaged the services of a wedding coordinator/planner. Her job was to see to the details for the ceremony and all the logistics. She knew her job and was proficient in doing it. The wedding proceeded without a hitch. It would have been wasteful of time, money and energy if, as one who engaged those services, went behind the event planner and re-did or worried about the plan.

I have to remind myself not to re-do or worry about the plan that God has for me. If I would just leave the plans to God, I can get on doing the things that God has called me to do.

When in doubt, assume the BEST.

We have all heard the quote, “when in doubt, assume the worst.” but what if we assumed the best in our neighbors, friends, even political adversaries? In tennis, if there is a question about a line call (whether the ball hit inside or outside the line), the opponent gets benefit of doubt. According to Code 6 of ITF (International Tennis Federation)- PART 2—THE CODE-THE PLAYERS’ GUIDE TO FAIR PLAY AND THE UNWRITTEN RULES OF TENNIS  “A player should always give the opponent the benefit of any doubt. When a match is played without officials, the players are responsible for making decisions, particularly for line calls. There is a subtle difference between player decisions and those of an on-court official. An official impartially resolves a problem involving a call, whereas a player is guided by the principle that any doubt must be resolved in favor of an opponent. A player in attempting to be scrupulously honest on line calls frequently will keep a ball in play that might have been out or that the player discovers too late was out. Even so, the game is much better played this way.”

It might be seen as quite naive, but giving an opponent the benefit of the doubt seems to work out in the end. Of course, I probably have lost games because of it. I am sure there have been times when I gave a point to an opponent when it would’ve gone to me had we had an official line call. But, there were times when my opponent gave me the point, when the true outcome might’ve been different. Either way, it all comes out in the end. Plus, it keeps the peace and caters to a sense of civility and enjoyment in playing. There is an unwritten trust between players. If you look at how quickly certain aspects of our society are quick to jump to negative assumptions, leading to destroyed relationships, property or even lives, maybe we should have neighbors, community groups, politicians, police, or officials think about this quote. Just like tennis, we may come to the conclusion that “even so, the game [of life] may be better played this way.”

I was reminded of this quote just yesterday as I was grocery shopping. I was dutifully standing on my COVID circle (six feet apart floor place marks) waiting to check out. With this new COVIDconfiguration, I am always mystified if I should put my items on the conveyor belt while the proceeding sales is occurring. (At one point this spring, the checkers had to wipe down the entire belt before the next order. I haven’t seen that practice in a while.) Regardless, I left my items in my cart and just waited.

The checker had to call a manager about the order ahead of me. After the manager resolved the issue, she said something to the checker about the lunch schedule and then promptly switched the light box above the checker’s head to now read, “15 items or fewer”. As I had way more than that many items in my cart, I anxiously asked the manager if I now had to find another line in which to wait. She replied, “You are fine because you have been here.” With that answer I started unloading my cart onto the conveyor belt. As I was doing so, I felt eyes boring down on me and overheard some disgusted snorts from passers-by, “Some people can’t count.”

I felt terrible. I felt like the Hester Prynne of the grocery store line. I wanted to have a sign over my head, “I know that I have more than 15 items. I have permission to use this line.” Assuming the worst made me feel terrible and I am sure did not contribute to the well being of the person making the snide comment for I could hear their agitated comments and sighs.

Every day, in every way, I’m getting better and better.  Attributed to Emile Coue, Father of self-improvement. 1922.

What if everyday we tried to get better and better: not only in our physical, mental, and emotional health but in our relationships?

What about you? Have you ever practiced living into the essence of a quote? What happened? Did it change your outlook of life? Are there quotes that sum up your feeling about your day? Your life?

What if we started giving others the benefit of the doubt? What if we let God work out the details in our lives in order that we can move along? Some times we get so bogged down with the details we cannot “see the forest for the trees”. What if we practiced treating others how we wanted to be treated: with dignity, respect, honor and love. Even if we disagree. Perhaps, especially if we disagree.