living loved

“Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.” -Proverbs 14:29

There is so much anger all around us. The Stankan Party of 5 rolled up to a coffee shop this morning on our way to do some Sunday shopping. There were zero cars in line, I stayed in the proper lane making my correct turn, and no cars were around me (at least that is what I thought). I got in line, watched a gentleman with his son in the car beep at someone accidentally backing out of a spot (not anywhere near his bumper) and then to my surprise, there was suddenly a car behind me with a woman beeping at me and yelling an extra special word at me with her praise hands a-waving.

I am still not entirely sure what happened or if maybe she was in a spot waiting for the line to move (unbeknownst to me) but what I do know, is she was madder than a hornet. She wanted that coffee ASAP! I looked in my mirror, gave a look of bewilderment, and asked my hubs why people are so angry. Neither of us had a clear answer. My heart was pumping. It is a rare occasion I get called such special words.

The old me would have probably did something extra snarky or annoying to add coals to the fire. Instead, I decided to avoid eye contact, order my coffee, and pay for her coffee too. Romans 12:20 says to feed your enemy and give your enemy a drink (in this case coffee & she really wasn’t my enemy); by doing so you will reap coals upon their head. These days, I prefer those types of fire stokers instead.

If I had to guess, she was pretty surprised when she pulled up to pay and her entire SUVs order was paid for. I hope she got a glimpse of Jesus today. But while I write this, I realized that my kiddos got to see a glimpse of Jesus through mom and dad as well. Unlike the youth in those angry passenger vehicles today, my kids got to see love, patience, and kindness and got a glimpse of Jesus too.

Remember, you never know who’s watching and who might need a little bit of coffee and whole lotta Jesus.

XOXO, Loni