Have you seen the videos of irate customers giving flack to employees? Seeing those outrageous displays makes me think about how people have become so quick to anger. I think “Jeez, I’m glad I’m not as negative as them.”
But recently I’ve been noticing that I have a shorter fuse too. While I don’t raise my voice or throw things, I tap my foot in frustration and think “Come on, I need to go!” After doing some self-reflection, I heard how I needed to readjust my attitude loud and clear.
I heard God say to me, “How would you like it if I treated you like that when you hurt me?”
God is incredibly patient with us. When we stray away from the holy path, we are not forced back onto it. God waits for us to reach out, sends us some signs if we need it, but ultimately allows us to go back to him if we make a mistake. When we make a mistake, we are not berated for it. We are told to do better and then are allowed to walk forward.
I realized I needed to implement that God-like patience into my life and give it to the people I come across. Mistakes happen and no amount of verbal abuse directed at a store clerk is going to change that. The only thing we can do is take a breath, nod, and ask “Okay, how can we fix this?”