I want to remind you that the information in my blogs is always from the heart and true. Today, I recalled a series of events that happened to me right before Christmas this past year. Let me rewind a bit first. My children are ages 16, 18, 24, and 27. After years of filling Christmas stockings for the whole family with comical things for laughs, I decided that I would just start filling my two-year-old’s stocking with the good stuff. I honestly thought everyone was tired of the silliness anyway!
When I told my twenty-four year-old son, he complained, “Awe, don’t stop, that was always the most fun part of opening gifts!” I’ll admit, seeing them extract heating pads, children’s band-aids, tire cleaner, and pregnancy tests WAS definitely comical! Therefore, I decided, at the last minute, the tradition would in fact continue!
Fast forward to December 24, 2019. I was rushing to get all the last minute shopping completed before starting to cook in the afternoon. I had convinced myself that the dressing was always better if the cornbread was baked the day before! So, I scurried into the “Everything is a Dollar Store” and began to shimmy through the isles filling my basket with funny, but needful things. I sighed with excitement at the checkout because I had finished in record time! My babies would be happy for sure!
Beep! I’m sorry, your debit has been declined! What? That’s not possible! I know I have money. I just left the bank!!!! The cashier explained, “It’s not your card honey. It’s our machine. It’s been doing this all day. We will just try again. It takes it a few tries to get warmed up.” She did try …6 …7…8 times. I lost count. I smiled and replied, “If you’ll hold my things here, I’ll just run over to the bank and get some cash.” She apologized and promised she would hold my purchases. I smiled and traipsed out the door like a woman on a mission.
“I’m sorry, your card cannot be processed at this time,” read the screen on the ATM machine at the bank. Feeling hopeful, I tried again. “I’m sorry, your card cannot be processed at this time.” That’s when I really began to pray! I literally had about eight minutes until the inside bank closed it’s doors.
I whipped my van into a parking spot and flew into the bank…faithfully smiling with Christmas spirit all the while! The teller explained that my card had been placed on hold because the screen showed that the same store had tried to withdraw money from my account multiple times. (Hmmm, I wonder who that could have been.) I nodded my head and quickly explained what had taken place. I breathed a sigh of relief when she promised that she could get my card restarted. However, it was going to take some time.
All I could think of was not getting my account unlocked before they took their Christmas Break! I had to have a few more groceries for Christmas Dinner, not to mention the stocking stuffers!! The teller then explained that she could give me cash from my account immediately. I exclaimed, “Praise the Lord!”
“That cornbread had to be put in the oven soon! I have so many presents yet to wrap! I need to clean a little more on the house before company comes. I hope someone took the dog out…” With a boggled mind, I prayed for strength while parading back to the “Everything’s a Dollar Store” to pay for my purchase.
I waited patiently in line behind the other customers who were just now checking out. I smiled at an elderly lady who seemed as if she was on her last shopping legs as she grabbed her last bag. I made a mental check that she could use some prayer. The cashier looked at me as if to say, “Where are your items to purchase?” I chuckled, “I came back to pay for the items I picked out before. She suddenly remembered, “Oh yes, your card didn’t work. Now, let me see where your bags are… I put them right here.” Obviously they were not there. She called her manager to see if she might have picked them up. Next, the cashier desperately asked another sales associate if she had accidentally put them back on the shelves. No she hadn’t.
Out of the blue, it occurred to me that someone (possibly the elderly lady that I smiled at earlier… the one that had also gotten my prayer) must have picked up my bags too when they picked up their own! The manager apologized. The cashier apologized. I remarked, “That’s okay. These things happen!” I reached for another basket and began to shop once more. This time I found a few things that were better than what I had picked out before. “I gotta get that cornbread in the oven and the gifts wrapped. I hope I have time to clean before they arrive.” Yet, I must have forgotten a few things because my bill was cheaper.
Finally, after going to the grocery store, I trudged into my house. I wearily wrapped the rest of the gifts, but I was too tired to bake the cornbread. It would have to wait until morning…before putting in the turkey and making the casseroles. The last bit of house cleaning would have to be divided with the kids.
As I look back on this day, I have to wonder how differently it would have been if I had become angry at all the uncontrollable things that happened. I could have shouted at the cashier for having a faulty debit reader. That would have killed her spirit and ruined my witness. I could have made a scene when my things were not there. Again, that would have needlessly hurt the cashier. I could have told myself to just forget it and go home. Giving up on family isn’t ever an option for me! I could have cursed out the teller at the bank for my card being disabled. That too would have ruined my witness and hurt the teller who eventually helped me.
How we respond to every choice in life will determine the effect it will have on others and especially our own lives. Attitude is a major factor to happiness in life!
I knew all this was a God thing for sure when my son’s father-in-law exclaimed he was happy to get the shaving cream, because he had forgotten his. He actually said, “God provided!” That, by the way, was one of the things I hadn’t picked up during the first visit! I’m thinking that’s why I was sent back!
Paul and Silas knew all about attitude. They were stripped of their clothes, beaten, and thrown into prison for basically doing what Christians are called to do. They didn’t throw up their hands and quit. They didn’t curse the guards. Along about twelve o’clock that night, they began to sing praises to God. God heard their praises of faith and created an earthquake to open the jail cell for them! What’s that? You mean God is interested in our day to day actions and reactions? Absolutely! You won’t believe what happened next! They refused to run away when they had their chance. They stayed and proved to be a witness for Christ! The jailer saw their attitude about life and their faithfulness. Not only was he saved, but all of his family also!
Keep cool, calm, and collected folks…Unless otherwise directed by the word!
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
