Sometimes a bad day is actually a bad day more as a result of our responses or lack thereof in any given or seemingly negative situation. I'm not denying that fact that situations do go wrong, and that things happen that do just 'push our buttons', but in each of these situations, we are still the ones who should have control over our emotions to determine just how this is going to effect me. I've always assumed that I fall into the range of what is considered normal of a person who is both mentally and emotionally stable, but this week, my flesh betrayed me, and has shown me to be a sadistic, deranged megalomaniac, who probably needs a couple sessions of the couch with Dr. Phil. Allow me to explain.
One of the assignments that the kids have been given at school this week, is to imagine that they were omnipotent and had control and influence over all the world, and then to write an essay on how they would make the world a better place for everyone. I would love to say that I threw myself heart and soul into the project by putting pen to paper, explaining how I would fill the earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, bring about lasting world peace, find cures for all diseases, stop all whale hunting and clubbing of seals, ensure that re-forestation projects reclaimed all that has been damaged and deforested, but truthfully, the best I could come up with was to wipe out about three quarters of earth's population. And the remaining quarter, well, I had them maimed just to teach them a lesson.
The reason for my diabolical responses, I'm somewhat embarrassed to say, are seemingly trivial situations and yet somehow they just seem to send my blood pressure soaring and leave me muttering away under my breath, while clicking my tongue as I walk away. For example, I do not understand why it is that people feel the need to stand in a door way and have a conversation, blocking both the entrance and exit to the room. Is there something comforting or cosy about the surrounding door frame that facilitates or offers security to those to those engaging in door way chit chat? No matter how many times you say excuse me, clear your throat or give fake coughs, they remain entrenched in their position. And for the life of me, I cannot fathom how, when they can see you hopping from one foot to the next like a cat on a hot tin roof, with a line of other people also wanting to enter the room forming behind you, they don't think that maybe they are obstructing the way. And then it all turns nasty when you start standing on tippy toes to see over them into the room, at which point they normally say something inane like, 'Excuse me, we're trying to have a conversation here,' or 'Oh, would you like to enter the room?' And should you politely respond with, 'Get out of my way, NOW!', they give you that look of dejection and hurt and tell you that there's no need to be ugly about it. In my animated thoughts, because these people won't move of their own volition, I zap them with my imaginary ray gun and make them disappear.
Another group of people that I would probably have wiped out in my moment of frustration, are those who cause unnecessary delays. I encounter at least one of them a week. Morning rush hour sees about 2 million people commute on Madrid's Metro system which I am told is the world's most efficient and user friendly underground transport system - eclipsing even Japan. The rush hour performance of the people is equally efficient and can only be described as a synchronous ballet of entrance and exit as people with ticket in hand pass through the turnstiles. But then there is always one, who has a bag bigger than the one that I arrived in Madrid with and which carried all my possessions, who only when in the turnstile decides to rummage through her bag to find her ticket - and yours truly is normally next in line behind her. There is no retreat from a situation like this, only a frustrating wait as she scratches through her bag like a hen scratching for worms pulling out shopping receipts and then shaking her head disapprovingly that it's not the travel ticket, then squealing with delight at finding the missing top to her lipstick and holding it up in triumph for all the world to see as if she's carrying the Olympic flame before opening another bag within the bag (a bag of equally chaotic cosmetics), to replace the lipstick top on the lipstick, then finding 'a' ticket which turns out to be invalid because it's last month's travel pass. Once those unfathomable depths have been fathomed, and the bottle-neck has now grown to almost out the door, she unzips the side pocket and eureka, finds the travel pass and smiles in victory as she sails through the turnstile. I too smile back through gritted teeth, though my victory is that I didn't drop kick her over the turnstile.
So, I guess we can all breathe a sigh of relief and be grateful that I am not God, and that neither is any other human being for that matter. I also guess that we shouldn't think too highly of ourselves, because at some point we are either the one frustrating somebody else, or the one devising malevolent plans to solve the crisis. Think about this: Our God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love. He does not accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He does not punish us for all our sins, nor does He deal harshly with us as our sins deserve (Ps. 103:8-10 NLT). That's something that we all need to remember. Next time you read the news and find yourself 'responding' to something about a politician, or something someone did to you, or a situation you find yourself in, let's try the godly response: being slow to anger and not accusing and I'm sure you'll have a wonderful week.
God bless
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