Rummage Sale Lives

By Lynn Ludwick

Bent on bargains at a recent church rummage sale, I pawed through piles of clothing, books, toys, and stacks of miscellaneous stuff. Then I spotted a tangle of neckties and my mind paused to design a quilt. I dropped them in my basket and pondered the men who had once knotted and snugged these strips of polyester or silk around their necks. Did they wear them daily, on Sundays, or only for weddings and funerals? One still bore a dry cleaning tag—had its wearer retired or died? A couple of ties suggested flamboyant clothing taste, while the narrow models spoke of men who rarely threw things away.

As a writer, I could plot a whole story from a single necktie, and I might inadvertently guess a few truths of the man’s life. But I’d miss the real story, for God alone knows each person’s life from before time began and on into eternity. “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my other’s womb.” Psalm 139:13

So while it’s fun to invent harmless tales about unknown necktie owners, it’s unfair to judge real people and label them by their clothing, their vocabulary, their address, or even their behavior. Perhaps the grouchy store clerk or brusque table server I encounter struggles to pay rent. Or perhaps he or she or a family member battles health or addiction issues, and it’s hard just to get out of bed in the morning. Only God knows a person’s pain, the fear or shame or anger they carry inside. And He doesn’t seek my opinion. Instead, it’s my privilege to treat each person I encounter with dignity and respect, and to spread God’s love and joy.

It’s always a scary world out there, but at this particular time in America, fear abounds. The various national crises touch all of us on a personal level. So while I can’t take away other people’s burdens, I can tell them about Jesus, who wants to walk alongside each of us in our pain and our messes—the only One who can truly relieve our anxiety. I can also pray. I know God hears and will act in that person’s life. Such words and prayers will further serve to remind me that I needn’t fret about my own circumstances.

My stash of neckties lies in a drawer for now, but when I create that quilt I’ll pray for the people (unknown to me but known to God) involved in the former owners’ lives. It’s not much, but God hears and knows the whole story. The rest is up to Him.

“…The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 15:7

Lynn Ludwick writes from Medford, Oregon. lynniegirl45@hotmail.com