Mind Your Own Business

January 1, 2018

When we were children growing up, whenever we would meddle in someone else’s business, the person would respond by saying “would you please mind your own business”. Sometimes the request would be nice, but often, the requestor was very commanding and direct. Sometimes this would provoke a war of words or the exchange of punches depending on the importance and sensitivity of the subject.

I learned at an early age not to dip my nose into other people’s business. If I am not invited into a personal conversation I don’t typically impose myself. At least that’s what I’d like to believe about myself. It is amazing how we have these perceptions about ourselves. Then God will expose us so that we can see what we are really like. It allows us to know that we still have a journey ahead of us and that we need His help to make us better.

Here’s the story. I was on my way home a couple of weeks ago. I stopped at a light. The lane I was in kept straight while the lane to my right was a turning lane. I couldn’t help but notice that the person in the turning lane had a line behind her, but she refused to turn on red. I was becoming impatient for the drivers behind her as the line grew longer and longer. I could not understand for the life of me why she would not turn. There was little traffic so I thought she was just being ultra conservative. I started on several occasions to honk my horn on behalf of the other drivers, but was led against it.

The next day, I was in the same spot. After all, I drive that way home almost every day. I noticed something that I had never noticed before. The sign at the intersection read “no turn on red”. I was completely flabbergasted. I had never noticed that sign in all my years of driving that way home and it explained why the driver and everyone behind her was so patient the day before. They knew something that I did not know. If I had followed my mind and honked my horn, I would have been completely in error. That’s when the thought came to me “mind your own business”.

We think we can help by getting involved when our assistance is not needed. We want to be helpful and kind, but sometimes it is better for us to mind our own business. Don’t always feel like you must offer suggestions or make a situation better. Whenever you get a prompting from the Holy Spirit to stay out of something, obey Him. He knows better than we do what is taking place at that particular time and His guidance could possibly save us a lot of embarrassment.