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NOTHING TO PROVE
PROVE definition
to establish the truth or genuineness of, as by evidence or argument: to prove one's claim.
to show (oneself) to have the character or ability expected of one, especially through one's actions.
It was sometime ago now but I can remember being a dishwasher at a Red Lobster restaurant. I had just started this position and was very happy for the opportunity to earn some money. At this point in my life, I had a lot of things going on. With no explanation I had just lost my job delivering office equipment. I had been recently been put on waivers by a professional football team ( don't think I was giving a fair shake on that deal but no need crying over spilled milk.). I had recently gotten married to my beautiful wife Lynnelle( by the way it was one of her brothers who hooked me up with the job at Red Lobster).I had recently separated from my beautiful wife Lynnelle (yes ,you read it right). I had recently reconcile with my beautiful wife Lynnelle (ah yep). I had a variety of individuals and organizations hounded me for money for stuff I didn't have a clue about. All of my so called friends was either missing in action. , didn't want to have nothing to do with me (why, I don't know) or I didn't want to have nothing to do with them. An Arena Football team wanted me to play for them (arena ball had only been out a couple years then) but didn't want to pay me until after training camp (which was 6 weeks) and needless to say I couldn't wait that long for money. Also to top all that, other professional football teams wanted me to try out but none wanted to buy out my contract.
Anyway as you can see I had a lot of drama to deal with and on the day I am thinking of, all of my drama was weighing on me heavy. The reason my mind was being flooded is that I had recently been inform by my beautiful wife Lynnelle that she was pregnant with our second child (and again, ah yep). So as I arrived at work I was not in the most pleasant of moods.
I began my job and while I was working all these things was eating at my mind so I wasn't moving at the fastest pace. Also to add insult to injury, I was new so I was putting dishes in the wrong spot and things were getting backed up. Now as the night went on, things didn't get better, I was moving slow, dishes was getting backed up and the guy working the 'hole' (place where dishes are pushed to the back of the kitchen and usually your best dishwasher worked it) had gotten chewed out by the expo (cook who ran the kitchen) several times for not having plates to put food on. But I just continued through the motions, thinking about how am I going to provide for my family and life truly is unfair. I wanted to just quit my job and go drink down a case of beer , but I had just recently rededicated my life to Yah ( you thought I was going to say wife , didn't you) and I knew that was not right for me.
Now time went on and angrily yet quietly I continued going through the motions, and then all of a sudden a plate came flying across the dish room and hit beside me and broke. I looked down and another plate came flying at my head, I moved and it hit the wall and broke. I looked at the other dishwasher, he screamed at me in anger to move faster or he would hit me with a plate. Now I don't know how to be a coward and I could have wrapped this guy in a hot dog bun and ate him if I wanted to. He was around 5'8 180 pounds, I was 6'4 270lbs with very little body fat, and in great shape (that was a long time ago). At that time in my life, fighting was just another day at the stop light. I mean , I had fought some pretty tough dudes, I lost some and won some, and this guy was not someone who I would considered a threat.
But I needed this job so I looked at the expo and he laughed at me, didn't say anything and turned his back. Then I noticed something, the dishwasher and expo looked a lot alike. I walked away and began to ask some questions of other workers and found out the two of them was brothers. And not only was that but there a third brother who worked on the line and all three was prepared to handled me for they were trying to get me to quit or to get fired.
Now with this new information, I went back to the dish room and cleaned up the glass and started working faster. Time with by and everyone thought it was over. I continued to work fast and started doing two and three people jobs all the while hearing coworkers talking about me and the incident. They began to say things loudly like I am afraid of the dishwasher and that I am a giant wimp. I heard a lot of stuff that night and didn't say anything. Finally the end the night came and it was time to put my plan in motion, see as I said earlier, I had rededicated my life to Yah and I was saved. But I wasn't that saved. I had a lot of issues and a whole lot of drama I wanted to take out on somebody. So while I was working as fast and hard as I can on the outside, I was formulating a plan on how to take them out.
So now it was closing time and I saw the dishwasher leave the 'hole' and walk into the wet box ( room sized walk in refrigerator) to cool off. It was now time to strike. I went in right behind him. He stopped and turned and immediately I lifted him off the ground and had him pinned up against the wall with his feet dangling in the air (yes it did look like something out of the movies). Then I said face to face, in a real quiet voice "what did you say to me jit (slang for little boy)." He began to yell,"Put me down! Put me down!" I told him to shut up," your brothers can't hear you and I am about to break your neck." The next thing that happened shocked me. He began to cry and tell me he was sorry. That had never happened to me before and I was stunned.
I put him down and he began to explain how he was only trying to prove to his big brother (the expo) that he was responsible and could run the dish room so his brother would give him his truck. He kept explaining that he didn't mean for it to go that far and he just wanted to knock over a stack of dishes with the plate he threw and I wasn't suppose to know he threw it. He continued on about how bad he wanted the truck and a lot of other stuff I don't remember (this did happen a long time ago). Now I do remember thinking about how close this young man came to hurting me because he wanted to prove something and how I came close to hurting a young kid because I wanted to prove something. And it went further; I had been torturing myself in my mind because I wanted to prove something to my lovely wife Lynnelle. A whole lot of bad could have happened, all because somebody was trying to prove something.
See as I think on this type of proving, I realize that it is pride in another form and we all know Pro 16:18 "Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." I have discovered that the two 'prove' definitions at the top of the page is a good thing. Those type of 'proving' are for times and seasons and will happen most of the time by you just living the truth. But what I see more times than not, is what almost happened to me on that night, people getting hurt and making a whole bunch of bad decisions trying to prove their religion, politics, love, and a whole host of other things. Trying to prove something and truly thinking that it is good when it is nothing but pride appearing as an angel of light (2Co 11:13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.). Remember Pro 29:23 A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit .
Now I will end this walk down memory lane by telling you that I never forgot that night and the lesson I learned. I incorporated into everything I did. One example of this is that I never confronted anyone in a situation where they would be embarrass or found themselves pushed into a corner in front of others trying to prove themselves. It is amazing the differences in response you get when you approach someone alone and relaxed than in front of their friends or people in general. And I also live my life by this verse when it comes to dealing with people:
Tit 3:9 But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.(contentions= strife in debate; dispute; controversy and angry disagreement between people)
Oh in case you was wondering, the dishwasher, his brothers and I became great friends and in different years in my life, I can say each one was my best friend. They all have moved but I haven't forgotten them and maybe they still remember me.
Below is one of my favorite videos of one of my favorite songs put to some of my favorite movie scenes by my son (the child who my lovely wife Lynnelle had announced that she was pregnant with). IT'S THE TRUTH ANYHOW or Is it? The Truth; It Is what It Is.
