James 1:19
"...you must all be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry"
There is this lady I ride the train with every morning. She doesn't buy the train tickets like everyone else. I am not sure if this is going to make sense to everyone but here in the US, when the train conductor collects your train ticket, he/she gives you a "receipt" that indicates that you've paid and they punch holes in that "receipt" to help them know your destination. Apparently this lady has all these "receipts" (mind you, the receipts don't have dates on them), in every color! So when she gets on the train, she checks to see if there is not conductor in sight and then she takes her "receipt" from her bag and inserts in front of her seat, because that's where the conductors usually put it.
I first noticed her doing this two summers ago and honestly I was very surprised when I realized that she is still doing it. You're probably thinking "wait,that is not fair!" Yesssss I agree!! It is not fair at all, considering the fact that everyone else is paying so much money to get them to school and work everyday. It is not right, she is cheating the system!
At one point I really wanted to report her to one of the conductors or I was at least hoping that she would be caught, but I held back! I did not hold on ranting to everyone about this issue though! It bothered me! Like I talked about it every chance I got! Just to hear people agree with me and maybe rant with me too!
I learned my lesson yesterday! I took the train home with my friend and two of her other friends. The two friends were talking about an incident that had happened on the train in the morning about a guy who had not bought a train ticket and had to be escorted off the train by the police. When they started talking about the incident I was like "oh shoot, this is a great time for me to talk about that woman! And so I did and one of the friends was like " oh I used to do that too. Those were the hard times when I did not have money to take me to school and bring me back home" At this point my face just looked so stupid. The first thing I did was just nod and say that, that's a very smart thing to do. WHAT?!?! I was so embarrassed!! >_<
Psalm 141:3
Set a guard, O Lord,over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips
When I got home last night, I thought of that woman, I actually saw her today too and I felt bad for judging. Who knows what she is going through? Who know how bad her situation is? I shouldn't even let it bother me that much that she is "cheating the system", it is not my business. I am sure a lot of other people have seen her do it but no one has attempted to say anything.
I am not saying that you should just sit ideal in all situations, CHOOSE YOUR BATTLES. There is a time for everything. "A time to be quiet and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3:7).
This is something that I am seriously struggling with. I talk a lot lol and I know that this and many other lessons are God's way of saying that "Jo, calm down!!!"
I really hope that this post finds you all well. If there is a part of you that you are really struggling with, I encourage you to sit before the Lord and ask Him to teach you. You're going to be tested but that is all part of the learning experience. Also if you are not so sure where you are lacking, sit before the Lord and ask Him to show you and direct you as well.
xx
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