Something I read:

I cut someone off in traffic yesterday. I’m usually a good driver, but I made a mistake and cut this guy off. Of course, he honked his horn at me… really loud. Then, by chance, we both ended up in the same store parking lot. Great! I knew something was coming.

He made sure to stand right in front of his car as I slowly drove by, looking for a place to park. There he was, giving me the middle finger (not a surprise), and yelling at me. I stopped, backed up, rolled down my window, and just listened to him yell. ‘LEARN HOW TO DRIVE, FOR #%#! SAKE!’ That was one of the nicer things he said. When he finished, I said calmly, the way I’ve learned to speak during tough times at home, ‘You have every right to be mad. I cut you off, and I’m really sorry. I’m usually a good driver, but that was a stupid mistake, and I’m sorry for putting us both at risk.’ He was still mad, but he kind of stopped and started to think about what I said. Then I added, ‘Thanks for being quick and saving both of us today with your good reflexes.’ He sort of mumbled, ‘Geez… just be careful…’ He seemed surprised, like he wasn’t used to someone being nice after all the bad things he had said to me. It was a little scary for me, but not in the way it affected him.

I’ve realized I’m better at handling surprises than most people. I’ve also learned from my son that everything can teach you something. We should always try to act kindly and with good intentions, and give people a chance to show the best side of themselves. And that’s what he did.

Later, while I was shopping, I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was the angry guy, but now he wasn’t angry—he was calm. ‘You apologized to me, but I owe you an apology. I had a rough morning, bad news at work. Thank you for reminding me that everyone makes mistakes, including me. I shouldn’t have yelled and called you names. I’m really sorry.’

‘Thank you,’ I said, and smiled. He smiled back, too. We both told each other to have a nice day, and I think we both did. We both stepped out of our comfort zones to say thank you. And it felt… good.”

Author: Connie Manning

Little Moments w/ Jesus

I have been doing a little practice, for 21 days, of sitting in silence for a few minutes each day, I started on January 1st. I chose 2 minutes to start, and I am on 4 minutes. I also have been limiting my social media time to 1 hr. per day. As I was sitting in silence on Tuesday morning, I was focusing on the name of Jesus, and I began to pray and ask the Lord to help me when the 21 days is over with how to proceed forward.

If you have been following, you know that I had struggled with “the scroll life” for a few years now but had recently been released from the addiction. Back, 6 yrs ago, when the Lord asked it of me, to give it up, I didn’t do it willingly. So, I struggled with it. Set it down and picking it back up.

I said, ” Lord, I don’t want social media to take over.”

He said, ” It won’t, you are free. You get to choose now.”

I said, ” If I am free now, why did I have to struggle with it for so long.”

He said, “because sometimes you have to wrestle with things to know why they hold you.”

Back then I tried to ignore that He asked it of me. I didn’t even want to sit with why He would want that from me. It makes sense to me that the things we won’t even look at like our sin, our habits, our wants, things the drive us nuts about ourselves, but are our likes, our goings, and doings would be the very things that keep us captive and not free. As I sat with it, it is not even so much the social media part that is the issue. It was the sitting on my phone, disengaged with what is happening around me, missing the life right in front of me and the side effects that I wasn’t paying attention to – the headaches, the irritability, and the brain fatigue.

I encourage you to sit with the things you don’t want to look at. If you have something in your life that has a hold on you and the Lord has asked you to give it up. Sit with it. Let it tell you, its secrets. I humbly submit that we don’t grow up and out of our issues because we won’t sit long enough to allow the seed to break open and reveal itself. We don’t process. We just keep running.

Something I am listening to

I have been for a long while been in a space of just waking up and being in the quiet. But the other day I walked into my daughter’s house, and she had some instrumental music playing and it felt like joy and hope. So, on Friday I put this on – it was a peaceful addition to my morning.

Prayers Needed

• My neighbor Sonia, fighting cancer
• My mom’s upcoming move to be closer to us
• Our youngest son D. – we are working on getting driving hours in so that he can take his driving test
• My daughter – she’s got 3 littles at home and baking a 4th bun in the oven
• Our oldest son D – to come to Jesus and know the fullness of His love

Thanks for listening,

Starla