I got a lesson in doing the right thing years ago when I was working in a winery during the summer while in
college. My job was to “throw glass on the line” all day long. They would bring pallets of empty bottles upside
down in their cases. My job was to just turn them upside down on a bottling line that ran from the warehouse
through the actual bottling plant. It was hot, dirty, boring work. But one day, I was rewarded for staying busy
by being promoted to filling box cars by hand. Each box car was a custom order that was to be sent back East.
And so, two guys were assigned to hand pack an entire box car with these orders. It was cool in the warehouse
that the freight cars were in, and the folks were more relaxed and concerned about just doing this right and I was
making a dollar more an hour! I and another guy were shown how to load the cars and I was working on one,
fitting all the cases tight for their long journey. There were several people on the loading dock next to the
boxcar and they were armed with a polaroid camera. They explained that because there had been so many
complaints about broken cases of wine at the other end, that the insurance company had them take a picture of
the loaded box car and then the polaroid picture was tucked in an envelope to ride along with the product and
the door would have a seal attached to it and then broken at the other end. We were almost done, and I sensed
that the guys who were watching us were anxious to get on to something else, so we put the last cases in when I
discovered that two of them were broken and leaking through the boxes already. I pulled them out of the stack
and threw them back on the loading dock and told the forklift driver that I needed two replacements. As soon as
I said that everyone stopped speaking and every eye was on me. It was just us in this big warehouse and I got a
little edgy wondering what in the world was going on. Finally, the forklift driver just shook his head and
chuckled a bit and when back to the main warehouse to get me two replacement cases. No one spoke much and
I finished out that day. When I reported to work the next morning, I was told that I would not be needed in the
boxcars anymore and I would be back in the bottling plant warehouse where I stayed for the rest of the summer.
I was savvy enough to realize that the way things were done was to just pack the broken cases and let the
insurance company pay for it at the other end. I learned something about people and about what happens when
you try to live out your faith by doing the right thing. That’s something that the Apostle Peter continued to
drive home in his first letter that is part of the Bible. Every day we are going to be faced with the choice of
doing the right thing or to go along with the crowd. I learned that often there is a price to be paid for doing the
right thing. But Peter says that when you get unjust treatment (and we all do sometime) and endure it patiently,
that God is pleased with you. And even if you suffer for it, remember that Christ suffered for you first. And he
is our example…so we need to follow in his steps. So, hang in there and yes, do the right thing before God and
for others. God says he will make it worth it to you and me!
Here’s our Bible verse for today…
1 Peter 2:19-21 NLT For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. (20) Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. (21) For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
Remember I’m praying for you,
PJ
Here’s our Bible verse for today…
1 Peter 2:19-21 NLT For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. (20) Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. (21) For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
Remember I’m praying for you,
PJ