Learning

It's Sunday morning. Instead of going to church this morning, we're hanging at the house keeping an eye on our oldest son. He hasn't done anything wrong, he's just dealing with mono.

Ugh! Do you remember those days back in high school when someone was out for days or weeks at a time with the dreaded mono?

There was always this part of me that wanted to get it too so that I could miss school.
Think I needed attention much?

Since I became a Christian in the spring of 2006, I realized that I will always be a work in progress. As much as I wish that certain traits would just up and disappear, I now know that many of them will only go away if I give them up.

There are behaviors that I am embarrassed by. For instance, I tend to get very worked up if I can't find my keys. Or my debit card. Or a shoe. Or getting to the Kroger and realizing that my debit card isn't in my purse.

I know! The humanity!

I live about eight miles from the grocery store. In the middle of the desert. And my truck (Ford Exploder) doesn't have a back window so the air conditioning goes, "Whoosh!" right by me.

Sorry about the tangent. I am good friends with Mr. Tangent and often find myself moving away from what I was talking about.

Anyhow, something happened this past week that I didn't expect. The Big Guy and I had made the trek into town and found a parking spot only three spaces from the front of the store. While putting my keys into my purse, I did the cursory look in my wallet to make sure my card was there.

It was not.

Upon noticing that I had noticed that the card was missing, my son took a deep breath and waited for the explosion that inevitably follows such a discovery.

But, something else was in play that day. Instead of getting upset, I felt calmed. I merely said to my boy,"Well, it looks like we'll have to run out to the house and get the card."

He asked me where his mother was.

For a brief moment, I lamented the loss of a good parking space. However, it was fleeting and I turned my thoughts to God. There was no other explanation for my lack of a conniption.

Finding the card on my office desk a little while later, I bounded down the stairs and headed for the truck again. (I exaggerated the "bounded". It was more like a trudge.) Once again, we were heading into town and feeling the cool air for a brief moment before it was sucked out the black hole that is the space where my window should be.
Arriving at the store a few minutes later, I was a tad disappointed to find that wonderful parking spot occupied.

However, the first spot was wide open and waiting for me.
The lesson I learned that day was to simply quit acting a fool over the small things, like the world does. If I am in this world and not of this world, it would make sense that my behavior would stand out and would clearly be the opposite of everyone else's behavior.

If "the LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love", shouldn't I be as well? (Psalm 145:8)

Thank you Lord for Your forgiveness and for helping me to see that anger should never be the answer in situations like the one above. I could not do this without You.