MORE
THAN A TRUCK

Topics: Bitterness; Conflict; Enemies; Perspective; Priorities; Reconciliation; Relationships; Revenge; Values

References: Matthew 5:39; Luke 6:28–29; Romans 15:1; 1 Corinthians 6:7; Colossians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:14–15

While Tom Wiles was university chaplain at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Arizona, he picked up Leonard Sweet at the airport in his new Ford pickup to take him to a leadership conference. Since Sweet was still mourning the trade-in of his Dodge truck, the two men immediately bonded, sharing truck stories and laughing at the bumper-sticker truism “Nothing is more beautiful than a man and his truck.” Sweet tells what happened next:

As I climbed into Tom’s 2002 Ranger for the ride back to the airport a day later, I noticed two big scrapes by the passenger door. “What happened?” I asked.

“My neighbor’s basketball post fell on the truck,” Tom replied sadly.

“You’re kidding! How awful,” I said. “This truck is so new I can smell it.”

“What’s even worse is my neighbor doesn’t feel responsible for the damage.”

I immediately rose to my friend’s defense. “Did you contact your insurance company? How are you going to get him to pay for it?” I asked.

“This has been a real spiritual journey for me,” Tom replied. “After a lot of soul-searching and discussions with my wife about hiring an attorney, it came down to this: I can either be in the right, or I can be in a relationship with my neighbor. Since my neighbor will probably be with me longer than this truck, I decided that I’d rather be in a relationship than be right. Besides, trucks are meant to be banged up, so I got mine initiated into the real world a bit earlier than I expected.”

—Based on Leonard Sweet, Out of the Question … into the Mystery (WaterBrook, 2004)