It’s Friday night and we get to stay up late. But “up late” and a keyboard to myself do not
mix well. I get on one of those rants
that when I wake up the next day and read it I say, “What!” But I’m just wondering…is it me or does anyone
else believe that they are sometimes invisible.
The problem with being invisible is that when you get in a car, it
becomes invisible too. But here’s the
problem.
I sometimes get stuck in a food store check-out line that is
stalled by some technical difficulty at the cash register. Of course, I have to listen to everyone behind
me complain loudly, “Why don’t they open another register.” Eventually, after about 20 minutes, some
distracted manager finally notices the jam and orders another register to open.
The lady, or guy, says loudly, “I’ll take the next person in line.” You would have thought she said “Free hot
dogs on register three.” Everyone behind
me rushes to the register before I can process what she said and think, “Move
to the left.” Do they not know what “Next
person” means?
But I’m certain it is because I have periods of
invisibility. I have stood at the
counter at a fast food restaurant and had the individual taking orders look
right past me to the next person in line and attempt to take their order. It could be that the texture of my skin
blends with the decor. But then I get
into my car and it becomes invisible.
People in a vehicle next to mine will move into my lane with no signal creating
the miracle of not removing my front bumper while cutting across two lanes of
traffic. I slam on the brakes. Then they put the turn signal on at the exact
same time they apply the brakes as they veer sharply into a Taco Bell. I slam on the brakes again.
I am most invisible when I am in a Verizon store. The associate will ask everyone but me if
they need help. Sometimes they have a
clipboard where they write people’s names in the order they came in. But they never ask me my name. If anyone asks me the meaning of patience
during these events I give them a baleful stare and say, “Waiting.”
So, as a Christian, how do I handle these situations? Hey, you gotta laugh. I’m not talking about a maniacal laugh to get
someone to notice you. That’s cheating. If you’re invisible, you have to come back
into view correctly. You laugh
(actually, it is more like a chuckle) so that you can get your smile wrinkles. Trying to get someone attention without smile
wrinkles will make them call security.
Now, with smile wrinkles, you say very sing-songy, “Pardon me, but did
you notice that I was next in line.” If
they ignore you, then you have to go home, drink a glass of milk, and then send
your spouse to the store to get whatever it was that you wanted. Why milk, you may ask. Because that’s the only thing safe to drink
when you’re angry and it will make you feel better.
Seriously, I believe that sometimes I just need a refresher
course in patience. Oh I had the thought
run through my mind a time or two that Satan was just trying to gouge me into
trashing my witness. But patience is a
virtue and we need more and stronger virtue.
Additionally, God’s Word declares that in our patience we possess our
souls (Luke 21:19). Now that’s a spiritual eye opener. Possess our souls? How is that possible? Think about it; we make a lot of bad decisions,
says things we would like to retract, and do things we wish we had not done, because
we get impatient. Not only that, but we
get ahead of God, we go down wrong paths, we get deep in debt, get involved in
contention, and even marry the wrong person, because we were impatient. I had a friend who used to say when I asked
him how he was doing, “I’m waiting on what God’s working on.” There is nothing that will produce patience
as much as waiting. I’ll be honest here;
I hate to wait. But that is exactly why
God sends me into those waiting situations.
I get behind slow drivers who are texting. I’m sitting at a traffic light that turns
green and the car in front of me doesn’t move.
I get put on hold when I call a business. Wait, wait, wait. And guess what, I will wait some more at
every opportunity until I can wait patiently.
Today, I waited a great deal and I was patient. I didn’t get frustrated or try the sing-songy
thing with smile wrinkles. I just waited
and silently praised the Lord. I know
that tomorrow I will not have to wait because I passed the test today. Think about that each time you get knotted up
because something is not moving fast enough for your taste. Maybe God is just helping you to get a little
stronger grip on your soul.
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