Dear lady in the giant black SUV, in the drive thru, at Chik-Fil-A, last Wednesday about 12:30...
Hi. We’ve never met, but that’s okay. I’m Sean, a married father of two, and pastor of an awesome church in Greenwood, IN. I know you don’t care about those things, but I wanted to give you some context. You see, I have several phrases that I say often ... often enough that my family can usually recite them back to me, or even finish the sentence before I do. Call them, “Sean-isms” if you will. One particular “Sean-ism” is this ... “IF you are going to get the giant SUV, learn how to drive it!”
I usually deploy this Sean-ism when I observe someone struggling to maneuver their large vehicle in tight spaces. I have noticed, that this particular situation, and therefore subsequent Sean-ism, is used primarily in the context of the little soccer mom, who for whatever reason, felt the need to get a vehicle large enough that it could be used to repel foreign invaders should the need arise … The largest possible vehicle without requiring a CDL ... so big that you need a ladder to get into it ... you know the kind.
Well, this was the situation that we found ourselves in last Wednesday. I watched as you tried to navigate the lanes of the Chik-Fil-A, needing to back up, reposition, and try it again. While sitting in line, waiting our turn, and watching the drive thru employees scatter as you wrestled the behemoth vehicle, it was time to deploy the Sean-ism, “If you are going to get the giant SUV, learn how to drive it!” A lesson well taught to my wife, kids and anyone else who would listen…
Call it fate, call it Divine Intervention, or just plain luck, you ended up directly in front of us as the two lines merged into one, the largesse of your SUV was such that I was unable to see around it ... and it was while I was still shaking my head in derisive wonder, and thinking about how interesting it's going to be to watch you as you attempt to navigate the next turn around the building, was when the outside cashier advised us that ... you paid for our lunch…oof.
You see, God and I have this relationship where when I am getting too full of myself, He finds a humorous way to put me in check ... and this was one of those times.
So first, I want to apologize for my critique. I do not know your situation ... maybe your work or family life requires you to get a large vehicle? Perhaps your spouse insisted on it? Maybe this SUV was an inheritance and you take it out once in a while to feel close to the person you lost? Whatever the reason, my judgment was completely unfair.
Secondly, I want to thank you. Of course, thank you for the meal, but thank you most of all for the huge helping of humble pie that I desperately needed. I want to thank you for your timing as well, because this whole situation worked well into a sermon. It’s times like these, that reaffirm my hope in all people, and it reaffirms my hope that God is still working on me and not finished yet.
So, it my hope that this note finds you and your family in good health and I wish you many blessings!
Yours Truly,
Pastor Sean