romans 12:21

be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
i was reading this verse this morning, trying to tune out my neighbours' loud music.

they woke me up at 530 with the irregular beat of modern rap. ugh.  i couldn't get back to sleep.  i tossed and turned until 630, then gave in and got up.  i made some yummy cheese biscuits, and enjoyed too many of them for breakfast.  patrick woke up and left for the men's prayer breakfast at the hall.  i settled in to read my bible, concentrating hard to block out the still-pumping music.

it seemed impossible that they could ramp up the volume, but they did.  i got angrily up from my chair to stare ineffectually out the keyhole.

God tapped me on the shoulder and stared pointedly at me.

hadn't i just read be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good?  (okay, whether or not loud music is evil probably depends on the clock.  in my opinion, eminiem sucks anytime, but 530 on a saturday morning is especially evil ...)

but God was right.  i laughed.  He had just told me what to do in this case, and what was i doing? glaring out the keyhole.  i was being a hearer, but not a do-er. 

it took a while for them to hear my knocking.  i could hear two guys howling drunkenly along with the real slim shady.  i tried to time my raps in between theirs.
one guy came to the door, still adjusting his pants.  "yeah?" he asked, looking at the biscuits warily.

"i'm your neighbour," i said, "i made too many biscuits.  want some?"

he very hesitantly took the plate. 
i hope they like them.
i also hope that God keeps giving me object-lessons that are so obvious.  because i can be pretty thick sometimes, and this one took a minute to sink in.

be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.  :)