Luther’s Lores

Not Martin Luther but Luther Ash is a stocker at my local Sam’s Club. I met him over ten years ago as he helped me with some items I was purchasing. He always has a positive, meaningful word or comment to share with me.

My wife asked me if I could go to Sam’s early this morning to buy paper towels and toilet paper. She had gone the day before and they were completely wiped out. The clerk told her to be back by 8 am Wednesday or Thursday and she would be able to get some, but don’t wait because it could be gone before long.

With clear marching orders, I headed to Sam’s this morning on a mission to come back with tw0 Member’s Mark, 48 count toilet paper packs and one 48 pack paper towel pack. If they were out of the Sam’s brand, don’t get anything else, we are not completely out. I headed down the side aisle straight to the back where paper products are stocked. As I approached this area I saw pallet after pallet of paper towels and toilet paper. There were so many pallets that I could not pass through to back aisle. Wow! Toilet paper panacea! I began to load my packages in my buggy when I looked over the top of a pallet and saw Luther.

“Luther” tell me something. “What is the deal with toilet paper and paper towels?” He looked at me, paused, and said, “One word.” I shot back, “What is that?” He looked up and spoke, “Fear”. “Yes,” I responded, you are correct, so much of the world is operating out of fear.

I then shared with him an experience I had the day before when I pulled inti my office parking lot. I got out and headed to the sidewalk leading to the back door and noticed a car pulled up by the sidewalk with a sign on the side that read, “Health Consultants”. My first thought was health consultants were out inspecting public places to make sure proper Covid restrictions were being followed. I made sure I had my mask and proceeded towards the sidewalk, when I noticed a gentleman with a bright orange vest looking at two holes that had been dug for irrigation repairs to be made. I walked up and said hello and asked “What’s up?.” He told me he was there to inspect the sprinkler repairs to make sure there were no leaks. I thought, how strange. My brother and father owned an irrigation business for many years and always had a city inspector come and inspect the connection to the main water system to make sure the proper check-valve had been installed to be sure there was no back flow into the drinking water system. That made sense. But why would there be a governing agency inspecting to make sure no treated water was leaking out into the ground, so I said, “Really?” He went on to explain that he inspected all water connections to make sure there were no leaks because if there were, it could leak out, evaporate into the atmosphere and contribute to the spread of Covid. I choked, and said, “Oh! Wow! Are you sincere?”

This morning, I told Luther this story and asked, “Can you believe that?” He said, “People make maddening decisions when they are operating from a mad mind. Our world is filled with madness because people are mad minded. Anyone who doesn’t have a complete relationship with Jesus Christ does not have a healthy mind and struggle in wise thinking and wise behavior.”

I was encouraged, that there are still people in our world that know God and have the mind of Christ. I pray that God’s people will seek to have minds informed by the wisdom of God, found in his word and will apply heavenly wisdom to decisions in the home, market place, church, schools and institutions of higher education and the halls of government. Brothers and sisters, where has God placed you? Humble yourselves, yield to your Creator and Savior, and ask for wisdom to live out your faith in a maddening world.

Matthew 5:13-16; Romans 12:1,-3; Ephesians 2:1-5; James 313-18; 1 Peter 1:13-15; 4:7; 5:5-8