WINSDAY WISDOM 308
Sometimes we fail to pay attention to where we are and become blind to what life is truly about. When God questions us, we fail the test.
My patience is basically like a gift card, not sure how much is left on it, but we can give it a try.
That was the t-shirt logo in the ad I saw last week. I immediately copied and texted to those closest to me.
Friends started a GoFundMe account on my behalf dedicated to the purchase of the t-shirt.
Patience is waiting with a smile. At least that is the version I teach my grandkids.
Patience! Patience is definitely one of my daily recycled tests.
I was tested and failed again yesterday.
I have committed myself to pursue the most important goal of loving God and loving others first and most. I understand the process is more about direction than perfection.
But, what the jeepers? Why does it seem that everyone signed up to be God’s instruments of teaching me patience?
I have begun to anticipate the two cars slowing down my travel lane are both going to turn into the fast-food lunch drive-thru intended as my destination.
I am no longer surprised that they will stare at the menu and not be able to figure out what to order. That will be followed by a change in the order and then a long deliberation and discussion over drink preferences.
I actually expect the customers in front of me at the pharmacy counter to have major problems with their prescription. I am no longer surprised or frustrated. I even bet the over-under on fifteen minutes of wait time. Take the over!
I began yesterday with a smile about the t-shirt with the dwindling gift card total on patience.
A few hours later, my card was drained dry. Nothing. Nada. Nil. Nilch. Less than nothing.
The moment did not look like a test. The assignment was straightforward. I was in the self-checkout line at the grocery store. My goal was to purchase the sale items marked on my wife’s grocery list.
Special sale: Ten selected items for a total of ten dollars: 10 for $10. I double checked that I had the correct items picked from the store’s special display shelf.
As the item costs appeared on the screen, I did not see the discount. I asked the attendant if the correct price should be on the screen for each item or would it show up on the total. She suggested I wait.
That did not work. The total did not show the sales price. I kindly asked for assistance.
This customer service lady is someone’s favorite person who makes their world go ‘round. She was very methodical, a strictly by the book rule-keeper who would never make a mistake. Neither time nor adaptation to special circumstances would alter her process. Our family has a name for that kind of person, borrowed from a real pleasant man of similar characteristics.
There is nothing wrong with rule-keeping or methodical actions. However, they can be extremely frustrating to someone in a hurry willing to consider out-of-the-box shortcuts…and vice versa.
For example, my precious wife and our sister-in-law will sit in Section 301, Row ZZ, Seats 142 and 143 of a football stadium because that is the location assigned to their tickets. The top row remains choice seating for those interested in parachuting out of the stadium.
They are undeterred and unmoved by the fact that the 30,000-capacity stadium has twelve hundred in attendance. They remain unfazed that the weather is 21 degrees with a windchill of 4. It means nothing to them that we could watch the game without binoculars from one of the lower empty rows or that the lower sections are blocked from the strong north wind.
What might happen if the people with those tickets show up in the fourth quarter? Or worse, what if the security guard checks our tickets and tells us to move? I did not share their fear of being escorted out of the stadium by armed guards, but, then again, my ticket blew away when I used it to scratch my frozen face.
Not wrong, just different.
I strongly suspected this customer supervisor held a ticket to Seat 144.
So, the number one thing I noticed was she had no intention of listening to any suggestion from me.
Number two observation: Other customers were growing irritated while waiting for her assistance.
Number three: She was quickly overwhelmed by the situation, which is not a good characteristic of a customer service salesperson.
I had a frustrated, perfectionist seeking to figure out how to correct my ten items for ten dollars instead of the $14.68 total on the checkout screen.
How would you correct that situation? Right. I bet it was not how she failed to solve it.
First, she emptied the sacks and counted each item. Yep, there were ten items.
Then she checked each item with the sales ad to confirm they were indeed listed in the ten for ten sections. What about the two pasta choices? Are they on the list? Are they the correct brand? “Yes, ma’am” and “Yes, ma’am.”
There are four cans of soup. Are they all the same brand and size? Is it really necessary to lift and examine each one with the same label and identical size as the other three?
Miss Don’t Miss a Beat noted that the two cans of tuna were different from the soup cans. That is correct, Sherlock Holmes. Check the sales ad. They passed as did the final two packets of salad toppings.
Her solution was to delete each item from the list one by one. Type in her permit number…for each item. Scan the item. Hit delete…for each item. Type in authorization again…for each item. Proceed to next item.
“Ma’am, do you think you could just subtract $10 from $14.68 and refund me the difference, which is $4.68.”
“No. That is not the correct way to do this.”
“How about deleting the entire sale and then just charge me ten dollars for all the items?”
“Sir, I must delete each item individually. Then I will reenter each item.”
How much is left on that “Patience” gift-card?
I waited for her to complete the deletion of each item. Then I watched her scan each of the ten items.
She appeared perplexed that her scan produced the same total of $14.68. I was not surprised. However, I looked at her in disbelief when she guessed the sale items were no longer on sale.
I asked, “Do you mean these items that you checked to make sure they matched your sales ad?”
She replied, “Why don’t you sack them up and take them over to the customer service window? Maybe they can help you. But first, I must delete each item again.”
I looked at the lengthy line of carts waiting at the manager’s window. I glanced at the frustrated customers awaiting my departure from the self-checkout area as they stared and whispered to one another.
Did they think I was just stupid…or poor?
My eyes did a quick search of the nearby gift card display. I did not see a Patience card. It did not matter. I could not afford one.
Apparently, I cannot afford all these items unless they are on sale. Maybe, I should negotiate how many items I could get for ten dollars. Someday, I hope to be able to pay full price for a can of soup.
I looked back at this dear lady handing me two plastic sacks. She pointed to the manager’s office window and wished me a good day.
Really? I bit my lip. Blood began oozing out of my mutant monster mouth. I began to loudly wail like a crazy lunatic…a very poor one in tattered clothes. The screams echoed throughout the store in my mind. PATIENCE IS WAITING WITH A SMILE.
The lady assistant grabbed my hand and asked if I was alright. I guess I blacked out for a moment. She handed me a ticket to Seat 145 and pointed me to the back of the line.
What was I really thinking at that moment? I just wanted to get out of the store and stop at the nearby Sonic Drive-In for a cherry Dr. Pepper. If I hurried, I could get there for a Happy-Hours half-off soda.
At this point, I wanted to pay $14.68 and lie to my wife.
Patience is an admired and respected virtue, until it needs to be practiced in our own lives.
I have realized this truth during my life journey. The gift card balance on my Patience often runs low and even out.
However, there is a separate gift card that came from heaven which has no limits. Yes, patience is a gift card from God. Whenever I choose to use it, patience waits with a smile.
No matter how long. No matter how many times.
I need to remember not to leave home without it.
God keeps recycling my tests. The spiritual tests in life are always recycled.
Love is patient. Patience means much more than just passively waiting. In fact, the #1 Textbook describes it as an aggressive activity of inner strength, often associated with running the race of life (Colossians 1:11; Hebrews 12:1).
Patience is also linked to the active words of perseverance and hope.
Perseverance is made up of two words, “Severe” refers to hard times. The “per” signifies “through” the severe times. Steadfastness under pressure. Endurance in trials and tests.
Hope is not wishful thinking, but rather a confident expectation of seeing all the goodness God has promised…somehow…someway…sometime.
God has promised to gift-card us with unlimited patience, perseverance, and hope (Romans 15:5). Why?
Patience, perseverance, and hope all deal with character development. God has promised to make me and you more like Jesus. He always loves first and loves most.
So, here is where the rubber hits the road, not with Goodyear tires, but in our lives.
Every stop light on the road of life is for character building in my life.
Every slow or misguided person on the road is for character building in my life.
Every incompetent or inconvenient customer service representative was sent into my life for character building.
I fail to see it that way too often as the balance on my Patience gift card quickly evaporates.
Thank you, Lord, for the $4.68 of character building. You knew I needed every penny of it.
One can survive ignorance in art or sports or economics. However, spiritual ignorance will never produce a happy life. It helps if you know and understand the questions on the test.
Here is the lesson from the #1 Textbook (Romans 5:1-5). The tests will surely follow.
Because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us…we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be.
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us—they help us learn to be patient.
And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.
Then, when that happens, we are able to hold our heads high no matter what happens and know that all is well, for we know how dearly God loves us, and we feel His love everywhere within us because God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.
Jesus lives in us to lead us to others He intends to love with patience, perseverance, and hope through us.
Get ready for the today’s test. Remind yourself, it is all about character building.
Rejoice at the red lights and ridiculous people who slow you down long enough to see the good God is doing in your life.
LOVE FIRST...LOVE MOST 