A Glimpse

Yesterday held much drama in our house including jumping up from the dinner table to give the Heimlich maneuver to my oldest daughter, and then later in the evening the kitchen faucet detached itself and shot like a rocket across the kitchen spraying water as its contrail all the way into the living room. With all that mess, it was a couple of little things, not big events, that really made an impression on me and made me think about how God feels.

First, I was in the bank and the teller was going over and beyond the call of duty to find the color of sucker my girls wanted. She was digging down to the bottom of the box for orange, and she didn't have to do that at all, she was just being nice. I made sure the girls told her thank you, and about that time, the man at the teller next to me, was just being rude! He said, "Well today would be good. I don't have all the time in the world." I know people do this kind of thing all the time especially to people who work in customer service, but I would never, NEVER say that to someone. She was obviously doing her job as quickly as she could do it. He was leaning into what I would consider her space, so he knew she wasn't sitting at her computer playing solitaire. How could he think that his rudeness would help her in any way? What would that accomplish for him? Did it make him feel better to get his thoughts out in the open? By the look on his face, I don't really think so.

I was driving down the road, pondering these questions when a driver stopped at a stop sign caught my attention. As big as life he flipped me off, gave me the finger, shot me the bird! And then, waved his hand as if to say, "Hurry it up lady! I don't have all day!" I looked at my speedometer and I was going five miles an hour OVER the speed limit. I was going as fast as I felt I could go, all-be-it, 35 isn't that fast. At this point I started thinking about how everyone is in such a hurry that they just totally discount other people's feelings. It's all about the personal agenda, and what's not getting done because other people are getting in their way.

I again, began to think about how I would never treat someone like this, but that's when it hit me. I think I just got a glimpse of my ugly nature, not toward other people, but toward GOD! How terrible is that? No, I'm not cursing God ever, or just demanding, but I so often get caught up in my own agenda and why things aren't happening on my schedule. But God does things as quickly as they need to happen; He's not up there playing solitaire! He knows I want to go, do, and get things accomplished, but sometimes His schedule and mine aren't in sync. I wonder if He ever says, "Lorissa, I know you're in a hurry, but your negative attitude isn't going to move this along any faster."

So, I can just be in the bank and wait patiently. I can drive down the road and wait for the lady going the speed limit (OK, five over). Can I wait for my Lord to work? I'm sorry that sometimes I'm the one telling Him to get on with it, when he knows and is doing the best for me already. Logically, it makes no sense to be trying to hurry God along. It's just too bad that most people are guilty of this, and it made me sad to think that I make God feel the way that man in the bank made the teller feel, or the way the man at the stop sign made me feel. What an glimpse of ugliness. Now THAT is why we need Jesus.