Bless those who curse you

Like I do almost every morning, I drove through McDonald's to pick up some breakfast. I noticed an older white car following closely in my rear view mirror. Just after I placed my order and pulled ahead, a young man in the white car yelled, "Hey! Hey!" At first, I didn't realize he was calling to me. I looked back at him in my side mirror and he yelled, "Why did you cut me off back there? Didn't you see me or are you just BLIND?"

Needless to say, I was stunned. Apparently this guy thought I had cut him off as I turned into the drive-thru lane. After a second or two, several possible reactions came to mind:

1. First, I thought I should yell back at him.
2. Second, I thought I should just get out of my car and walk back to his opened window and straighten him out. I quickly nixed that idea because he could be a crazy person and decide to shoot me or something. Weird things happen, I know.
3. My last idea was a very strong impression that obviously had a Divine Source - I should pay for his purchase as well as my own.

In the ensuing few seconds, I had quite a little war with myself in my mind. Thoughts like, "If you pay for his breakfast, he will think you are admitting to cutting him off and you know you didn't do that." Or, "What if he yells something else at you again?" Or, "He is going to think you are a complete idiot if you do this."

Mind you, this whole episode took place in a matter of 30 seconds or so. My heart was pounding in my chest and I knew what I had to do. I paid for my breakfast at the first window, and told the McDonald's worker that I wanted to pay for the car behind me as well. She was surprised but took my money and promised to pass along my message to the white car, "God bless you."

I was so afraid that I wouldn't get out of there before the man in the white car would have time to yell at me again. As I was getting my Egg McMuffin from the second window, I watched in my rear view mirror as the man was told that his breakfast was already paid for. I wish you could have seen the expression soften on his face. It was remarkable. I drove away and my heart eventually went back to its natural rhythm.

I will likely never see that man in the white car again and I have no idea as to his spiritual condition but I hope that a tiny seed was planted in his mind today. I could have (and honestly wanted to) repay his angry words with some of my own but Jesus took that moment to bring His Word to life before my very eyes. Jesus says in Matthew 5:44, "But I say unto you, love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you..."

Thank you, Lord, for this opportunity to be obedient to Your leading this morning. May the young man in the white car find his mind returning to You over and over again today.