Josh was a young, successful executive traveling down a neighborhood street in Chicago.  He was going a bit too fast in his brand new black, 12-cylinder, Jaguar sports car.  He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something.  As his car passed, a brick sailed out and...WHUMP!  It smashed into the new Jag's shiny, black side door.

            SCREECH!  Josh slammed on the brakes, jumped out of the car, and grabbed the nearby kid who had obviously thrown the brick.  He shouted at the kid, "Why did you do that?  What were you thinking?  That's my new car!  That brick is gonna cost you a lot of money!"

            "Please, Mister, please...I'm sorry!  I didn't know what else to do!" pleaded the youngster. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop!"  Tears were dripping down the boy's chin as he pointed across the street.  "It's my brother, Mister," he said.  "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair, and I can't lift him up."  Sobbing, the boy asked the young executive, "Would you help me get him back into his wheelchair?  He's hurt, and he's too heavy for me."

            Moved beyond words, Josh tried desperately to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat.  Straining, he lifted the boy's brother back into the wheelchair and took out his handkerchief and wiped his scrapes and cuts.  He then watched the thankful younger brother push him down the sidewalk toward their home.  It was a long walk back to the brand new, black, 12-cylinder Jaguar with the big dent in its side, but Josh had other things on his mind.

            Josh never did fix the door of his car.  Rather, he kept the dent to remind him not to go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at him to get his attention. The next time one of life's little bricks hits you, do not complain about it.  Rather, try to figure out why you were the one to get hit.  It may be simply an opportunity for good.

Remember, Paul wrote to the church in Romans 8:28, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Let us also be those who love God and follow His calling.  Bricks may fly, but goodness will abound!

            Kevin's Komments is written by Kevin Patterson and presented by the Sebring Parkway church of Christ assembling at 3800 Sebring Parkway, Sebring, FL 33870.  Find them on the internet at www.sebringcoc.com, or e-mail them at sebringparkway@sebringcoc.com.