What would Jesus do?  So many times, when something happens, I think just like Rose.  What would Rose do?  What Rose would do isn’t usually the same thing that Jesus would do.  

As an example, something happened at my job many years ago.  I had gotten a call earlier that day from a secretary and the basic conversation was about her boss (an attorney) who had not gotten notification from my office about a neutral evaluation - which is our sinkhole mediation program.  I told the secretary that we had no knowledge about the consumer being represented but that I would fax over a copy of the letter to her.  I faxed it within 15 minutes of the phone call.  Later that afternoon I received a fax from the attorney and in the body he stated that he had received the copy of the letter that I had just faxed and then it said “it puzzles me as to why you did not see fit to copy me on this correspondence”.  Well, when I read that I was livid.  I had already told his office that we didn’t know he was involved.  I had faxed the copy right away to him.  What nerve this lawyer had!  Right away I wanted to do what Rose wanted to do - call him and give him a piece of my mind.  At no time did I think WWJD?  I knew better than to call him so I decided to wait a little while until I cooled down some.  Later, I decided to send him a fax.  I gave the facts and then I said, “Frankly I am surprised by the remarks in your letter”.  I then faxed it to him.  Once it was faxed, I thought - oh my, should I have said that?  I then went to the Lord in prayer.  I knew that I shouldn’t ask God to bless my mess.  So, I simply asked God for forgiveness for not asking Him first what I should do. 

If I had asked Jesus first, I bet He would have said to be kind.  Proverbs 25:21-22 says:  “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the Lord will reward you.”  And in Matthew 5:43-45 it says: ‘You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”

What a difference a prayer would have made.  I would have received the comfort of the Lord and been able to respond in a kind manner.  "What would Jesus do" came to my mind about 10 seconds too late in this particular incidence.  I am hoping that I have learned my lesson and that I will be 10 seconds quicker when (not if) it happens again..  But the only way that is going to happen is if I transform my mind to think like Jesus.  Each time something occurs - whether it is bad or even good - I need to take a moment to ask myself “what would Jesus do now?”  Sometimes that is all it takes to check our emotions and put ourselves back on the right track.  I may not know what Jesus would do in every single instance but I can read His word and know His character and that would help me to know what He would do.

My encouragement is this:  when we make mistakes - like acting before thinking, or thinking of what we should do instead of what Jesus would do - know that we are forgiven and we will in all likelihood be given another chance, in another situation to do the things we have learned.  Jesus isn’t teaching us stuff for nothing!  Try it this week.