Bret Petrillo via Daily Bread
The very accomplished architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, built a house for businessman Hibbard Johnson back in 1937. One rainy evening, Johnson was entertaining some very distinguished guests for dinner when the roof began to leak and drip directly on top of Johnson’s head. Furious and embarrassed, he called up Wright and complained about the roof leaking on top of his head. Frank Wright simply replied, “Well Hib, why don’t you move your chair?”
Obviously, Wright was going to need to come and fix the leak, but Johnson certainly could have taken steps to be part of the solution. Sometimes people have a knack for inflaming situations and making problems more difficult than they need to be. We bicker, gossip, complain, frown, pout, and even throw fits at times. The church body will have problems because it’s comprised of imperfect people. However, such problems are made exponentially worse when people stubbornly refuse to “move their chair.”
Paul issued a valuable reminder in 1 Thessalonians 5:14-15: “We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people.”
Admonish. Encourage. Help. Be patient. Don’t repay evil for evil. Seek that which is good.
These wonderful qualities are found in those who are trying to be part of the solution instead of the problem. These attributes are found in those who are dedicated to service instead of selfishness. These traits are found in those who seek to help instead of hurt. These qualities can even be found in the person who is being wronged by someone else!
If a congregation is full of people living these qualities, any problem will be short lived. It’s hard to imagine a problem which wouldn’t be dealt with correctly by such people. So let’s practice these problem-solving characteristics and seek to be a part of the solution, even if that means we have to “move our chair.”