{Almost} losing my mind in Verizon….

Yesterday afternoon, my daughter and I visited our local Verizon store.

Her phone decided to completely go bananas and is not working. Yay. Not the best thing to happen at Christmas.

I mean, the phone store is always crowded, then add in the week of Christmas…ugh.

We walked in and no one even looked at us. Hmm. Ok. I guess we will just wait until someone can help us.

There were people everywhere.

We waited for about 10 minutes, still no one.

I told her I would be right back, I had to go to the Starbucks next door and use the bathroom.

5 minutes later, I emerge back into the store.

I see the sales associates talking to a couple that had come in way after us.

Hmmm.

“Presley, have they already helped you?”

She gave me a very disturbing look and responded, “Nooooo”

What happened?? I asked her.

“Well, the sales associate approached and he asked who was next and the couple jumped ahead of me and said they were next.”

I could feel my blood pressure rising. That familiar tingle slowly working itself up my spine.

“What?!! Are you for real?”

I took a deep breath. Deeper than usual. I was livid.

This couple completely took advantage of my teenage daughter and they knew it.

All kinds of thoughts were running through my mind.

“It’s ok. We will be next”, I finally composed myself to say.

My daughter was watching me. She could see the different emotions playing out in real time.

I had a choice here.

I could lose my mind right here in the Verizon store, or I could show my daughter what mercy looks like.

WHY DO THESE THINGS ALWAYS HAPPEN AFTER CHURCH ON SUNDAY?

I told her we should pray for them. A little sarcasm but I also really meant it.

Maybe they had a sick child at home…maybe they were in financial trouble…maybe one of them is fighting a cancer battle….

I heard the scripture playing in my head…

“The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.” Matthew 20:16

I always go to this scripture when things like this happen. It assures me that God always has the last word. Always.

Lo and behold…

A few minutes later, a sales associate approached us and helped us.

We were actually helped before the couple was. The looks on their faces were not kind.

I tried to avoid eye contact.

I was ever so thankful I had not lost my mind in front of my daughter…and the rest of the Verizon store.

Whew. I sure wanted to though.

As if to really seal this lesson in my heart, my reading this morning was in 1 John.

 If anyone claims, “I am living in the light,” but hates a fellow believer, that person is still living in darkness. Anyone who loves a fellow believer is living in the light and does not cause others to stumble. But anyone who hates a fellow believer is still living and walking in darkness. Such a person does not know the way to go, having been blinded by the darkness. 1 John 2:9

I love when God just pounds something into my heart. He knows me the best. He knows what needs worked on. Mostly, my heart.

This Christmas season, you will wait in long lines. You will get stuck in traffic. You will deal with slow cash registers. You will possibly have someone break in front of you in line.

How will you respond?

As Christians, as followers of Jesus…

Let’s pray before responding.

Like, really pray.

Let’s ask ourselves if it is worth it to lose our mind.

Many are watching. Including our children.

What example are we setting for them?

I have learned that my children will do what I “do”, they will not do what I “say”.

They learn behavior by watching us.

As adults, we learn behavior as well. Most of ours comes from who we are hanging around, what books we are reading, what music we are listening to.

All of these things affect us…for the good or for the bad.

Let’s make our first meeting of the day with Jesus.

Let’s learn from Him in God’s Word.

The more time we spend with Him, the more we reflect Him.

Things that used to bother us and make our blood boil, will not bother us the same way.

We will learn gentleness, mercy, kindness, forgiveness by His example.

In order to walk in the Light, we must spend time in the Light of God’s Word.

And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments.  If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did. 1 John 2:3-6

still praying for the couple who jumped us in line,

jill