Cultivating patience

Yesterday I was feeling kinda grouchy, touchy, & all around impatient! It was one of those days; that every little thing that anyone did just rubbed me the wrong way! My Daughter dragging her feet doing her chores... People driving way below the speed limit for no apparent reason on my way to work ( even though I had plenty of time to get there) all seemed to light my fire of impatience & cause frustration to well WAY up inside of me to the point I was going to explode in a very ugly way on the next unsuspecting, possibly innocent individual. It wasn't until I got to work at my second job,( at a Family Christian stores) where I was doing my best to deal with a couple of ladies who came in & asked for a certain book, only to let themselves be side tracked by someone else when I started to show them where it was.

Ok, I thought & went back to what I was doing, only to have the same ladies came back several minutes later & interrupt me in the middle of helping another customer "Excuse, me" she said as she leaned over the counter getting right in my face as she said it. " "Can you show me where that book is now?" I told her I would be right with her as soon as I am done with the lady I am presently helping" So finding that mildly annoying, I finished up with the customer I was helping & helped them.

Now, they wanted to know if we had another book ( we didn't) & they couldn't find the books they originally asked about.

I showed them where they were bitting many holes in my tongue, smiling & being polite to them. Before leaving one of them asked me if I could find a book for them, but, they couldn't remember the name of the book or author. I politely told them that I was not able to look up a book if they didn't know at least the author or the title. The lady said can't you look up the book from members card? I reassured her that the card didn't work that way., & if she didn't know at least the title or author I couldn't help them. The other lady said " well, do you know if another bookstore would carry those books??" I told her that Barnes & Noble might. They thanked me for all my help & left. Right after that I felt that little whisper from the Holy Spirit about how God uses those kind of experiences to cultivate patience in us.

I giggled when I realized the truth of that thought. So now, whenever I am in a situation like that, or any other one that I am tempted to become impatient or frustrated I just have to remind myself that this is just a situation that God is using to cultivate patience within me!!