It was the last shopping weekend before Christmas, and a cool but sunny afternoon. The parking lot was a busy hub of shoppers whipping in and out of stores to get their shopping finished. Just inside the store I was shopping for some Christmas bags to “wrap” gifts in when I heard a long, loud honk from a car outside. Someone was obviously annoyed with the driver in front of them who stopped at the curb to let his passenger, a senior citizen, out by the door. I shook my head thinking of how impatient people are these days and continued shopping.
A little while later, our shopping list complete, I walked alongside my husband to our vehicle. As he was getting in the driver side, I stopped near the rear of the passenger side as the door of the car next to ours was standing wide open, just a couple of inches from touching our door. After waiting fifteen or twenty seconds but seeing no one attempting to close the door or get out, I assumed the person was probably just waiting for someone inside the store and had opened their door for some fresh air, so I stepped a little closer to be sure the driver could see me and politely and softly said, “Excuse me.” To my surprise I was met with an angry reply in a very hateful tone, “I’m trying to get out!” After a few more seconds the young lady who I assume to have been in her late teens or early twenties, got out, and as she walked past me, she tossed out an under-her-breath-but-loud-enough-for-me-to-hear, “Have some [expletive] patience!” Wow! I thought as I got into our vehicle without saying a word back to her.
In years past, before I fell in love with Jesus and began asking the Lord to transform my heart and partnering with him to do so, I would have reacted and responded to such an incident and probably not in a nice way. At the very least I would have felt anger rise within me, but to my surprise I did not feel that way. I was caught off guard for a moment, but I was not angry. As I reflected on the situation, I was reminded about what Jesus said about trees and their fruit…
For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
– Luke 6:43-45
As we drove home and I thought about the situation, I started wondering what might be going on in that young lady’s life. Even now as I’m writing this, I find myself praying for her. I find myself wanting her to know the love of the One who died for her, the One who can take all her burdens and troubles and cast them into the sea.
For years I have prayed for God to help me love people the way He does, because I just didn’t have it in me. I couldn’t love people like that without His help, and I haven’t always been good at partnering with Him to see that transformation take place. As much as I hate to admit it, I am often stubborn and prideful, something that the Lord has been revealing to me over this past year and helping me to overcome. Change and transformation of the heart is a process, and sometimes it’s a painful one. Old habits, thoughts, and attitudes can be hard to break. But oh, what joy to become more like Him! And to partner with His Holy Spirit who literally guides us along the way. I want my mouth to speak from the abundance of my heart words that are life giving, words that bring healing and reconciliation. In many ways the encounter with the young lady was a gift, because it allowed me to see that I have changed more than I sometimes give myself credit for.
We are living in a world that sometimes seems angrier and angrier, but we shouldn’t let such perceptions be our focus. We can’t let the negative attitudes and anger of others impact how we treat people. Be kinder. Be gentler. Look at such encounters as opportunities for self-reflection and examination, and instead of reacting in a fleshly way, pray for those around you. Pray that the blinders of their eyes would be lifted so that they can see truth and know the One who died for them. Out of the abundance of your heart, speak life and peace over the lives of others. It’s one of the greatest gifts you can give.
