The Law of the Rubbish Bins

Recently a friend shared with me how it has been a difficult year for him at work. I shared with him an illustration I heard in church which i found very encouraging. I do hope his colleagues who reads this would be encouraged too..

THE LAW OF THE RUBBISH BINS

How often do you let other people's nonsense change your mood? Do you let a bad driver, rude waiter, curt boss, or an insensitive colleague ruin your day?

Of course, for an instant you will probably be set back on your heels.However, the mark of a happy & successful person is how quickly one can get one’s focus back to what is important.
I learned it in the back of a London black cab. Here's what happened. Ihopped in a taxi at the Bank and we took off for Moorgate tube Station. We had been driving about 200 yards when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car's back end by just inches!

Here's what happened next. The driver of the other car, the guy who almost caused a big accident, whipped his head around and instead of apologising, started yelling bad words at us.

Now, here's what took me by surprise. Instead of getting angry or annoyed, my taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. He was actually friendly towards the other man!

I said, ‘Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!’ And this is when my taxi driver told me what I now call, ‘The Law of the Rubbish Bins.’

Many people are like rubbish bins. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their bin piles up, they need a place to dump it. And if you let them, they will dump it straight on you.

When someone wants to dump on you, do not take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.

So this was it; The ‘Law of the Rubbish Bins.’ I started thinking, how often do I let 'Rubbish bins' run right over me? And how often do I take their rubbish and spread it to other people: at work, at home, on the streets?

It was that very day I decided that I was not going to do it anymore. I then began to see be aware of rubbish bins. I see the load they are carrying. I see them coming to drop it off. And with the grace of our beloved Lord; I too have learnt just to smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.

How about you?