Princesschair’s Weblog

My ‘91 Lexus just sputtered and lurched to a stop tonight…thankfully right in front of the local 7-11. My girls were with me; we’d just picked up a couple of pizzas and were about to take Olivia to a sleepover when the car said simply, “no.”

As we sat there waiting for Paul to come rescue us in the van, we watched dozens of people exiting the store with choice beverages. One caught my eye. He came out with his six pack of Heineken under his arm, and as he swung open his car door, a young man with bushy, curly brown hair called to him. In seconds, an exchange took place–a bill for a promise–and the man strode back into the store, paid for a case of Budweiser and made his way for the laughing, waiting teen.

I commented under my breath to the girls, then stepped out of the car.
“Excuse me,” I said.

The twenty-something guy turned to look at me for a couple of seconds. I nodded and walked toward him.
“Excuse me,” I repeated, now up close to his shoulder. Eye to eye, he smiled sideways at me expectantly. I smiled back.

“Did you just buy that for those dudes?”
He stared at me, unbelieving. I asked again,
“Did you just buy that–” nodding down at the beer “–for those guys?” I shut my mouth and waited as he looked down at me.
“Yeah…”
I made a gentle fist and pushed his arm with it like a teasing friend.
“That was wrong,” I said slowly, softly.

He blinked. Stared a second longer and started walking away.
“We’ve all been there,” he called back. “You’ve been there. You know you have.”
I stood where I was.  Repeated in the same tone,
“It was wrong.”
He handed the beer to the kid, who quickly got into the red SUV with his buddies and closed the door. The man turned his blond head back to me and  sang back as he walked around his car,
“You’ve been there. You know you have.  Don’t be a hypocrite, now.”
I thought for a minute, then sang back, shaking my head,
“You know it was wrong, babe.”
“Don’t be a hypocrite.”
“Babe, you know it was wrong.”

It was the most civil conversation, really.  I have no idea why I thought to call him ‘babe.’  I didn’t want to get on his case, I guess, and wanted to speak sweetly to him so he’d know I was on his side.  I loved him, loved the teen boys, loved my girls…and because of that, I knew I had to make a statement about what I was seeing, and somehow hold it all accountable with the truth.

We both got into our cars. He shouted something I couldn’t hear and drove away; I was too busy locking the doors to listen.

My girls asked lots of questions about what had just happened and had me tell the story three times. We discussed how lots of people do lots of things, and its not our place to judge them, but it’s okay to step out and say the truth.

Glory be.

I pray it made a difference. I pray it affects some future decisions.  I hope my girls remember it, and I pray it somehow gave them permission to go ahead and stand up for goodness’ sake when their time comes, ’cause in spite of how weird adrenaline feels when it’s pouring through in bucket loads, it felt good to do right.  Too often wrong is being done without anyone mentioning it…and our world is worse off because of that.

It was so out of character for me to do that, it must have been the Lord!

Noble people make noble plans,
and by noble deeds they will stand.
Isaiah 32:8

Nobility–
(American Heritage dictionary)
–a class of persons distinguished by high birth and hereditary rank, and often having wealth, power, and privilege.

Noble–1)Having high or hereditary rank in society. 2)Having or showing qualities of high moral character, as courage, generosity, or honor. 3)Excellent and admirable. 4)Grand, stately, majestic. 5)Chemically inactive or inert (i.e. any of the six gases that do not react with other substances except under certain special conditions–helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon.)

Noble–Hebrew “Chor or Chowr”
–deriving from “Charar” (which has to do with white or pure), it means the free or the noble. Translates as “free-men.” Along with the elders, these leaders governed cities. Along with the priests and rulers, they helped in the reconstruction period after Babylon had taken God’s people captive. Sometimes they seem to be just administrators, and sometimes just influential people. There was no aristocracy.

that word it derives from: “Charar”–
to burn, to glow, to be burned, to be parched, to be charred. The basic meaning is the residue which is left from burning.

“I urge you, loved ones, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy (set apart) sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.”
Romans 12:1

“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
For our God is a consuming fire.”
Hebrews 12:28-9

“He is like a refiner’s fire and like launderers soap. He will sit as a refiner and a purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi (those responsible for tending to the Lord’s presence in their midst). He will purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer to the Lord an offering of righteousness.”
Malachi 3:3

“You are a chosen generation. You are a royal priesthood. You are a holy nation. You are His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” I Peter 2:9

“Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation…we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we plead with you, please be reconciled to God.”
2 Corinthians 5:18, 20

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works; which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:10

“He who overcomes shall be clothed in white garments, and I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life; but I will confess his name before my Father and before His angels.”
Revelation 3:5

“…and they will walk with me in white, for they are worthy.”
Revelation 3:4

“Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. And it was granted to her to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.”
Revelation 19:7,8

“Then one of the elders asked me, “Who are these who are arrayed in white robes, and where did they come from? …These are the ones who come out… and have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits one the throne will dwell among them.
They shall neither hunger nor thirst anymore, the son shall not strike them, nor any heat, for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”  Revelation 7:14,15

“So do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so you may prove what is good and acceptable and what is the perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:2

True nobility is born and bred according to the authority of a true blood line. As freed-men, now children of God, we have been made to be kings and priests to Him forever. We have been born again to reflect His likeness.
But that doesn’t just happen. Without fiery trials, dying to self every day, and choosing His graceful way over the world’s brilliant plans…I will miss out on my destiny: Nobility in the kingdom of the living God. Forever.

Bring on the fire! Burn away all that hinders love. Help me not react to things or people in this world, unless in special situations you arrange. Let me plead with them instead, ‘Be reunited to God! He’s awesome! Don’t miss out!’

Oh God, make noble plans through me. Do them. Every one. I want to walk with you through this world and to infinity and beyond…