Hey Everyone,
What kinds of things push your buttons and how have you learned to cope? Are you good at managing anger (if so, give us all some tips), or have you found yourself in some hot water, all because you lost your temper?
Because God convicts me very heavily over honesty, dishonesty (stealing in particular) is one of my pet peeves. At my last job, someone was stealing my hairspray... and for some reason, it was really ticking me off. I'd put a new bottle in my locker and it would be gone in a week (I rarely used it.) What really irritated me was that in 10 years of working there, I'd only had things taken from me once before, and because of the ways our shifts were at work, you could always tell who was taking something from you. (I never kept anything valuable or personal in my locker).
And here's where I ignored my good Christian foundations.
I took an empty bottle of hairspray, filled it with red food coloring instead, and simply waited. The person I knew was taking using it was scheduled later that day... (and what irritated me the most is that I was 99% sure the reason it was disappearing so fast is not because of grooming issues--that wouldn't have bothered me--but because this person was using it to get high.) And then I " happened" to have a conversation about it with one of my bosses, who was like an uncle to me.
"Kim," he sighed, "Of course it's wrong that someone is stealing. But now that I know what you've done, I would have to discipline you as well." "Shoot," I replied defiantly, "A three-day suspension would be a vacation!! I'd just eat ramen noodles and watch TV!" But--and here's what finally got to my conscience--he said, "Two wrongs don't make something right."
Yowsers. For some reason, I knew the Holy Spirit was speaking to me. And so I took the bottle, threw it away, and posted a sign in the locker room (you see? I couldn't let it go! One of my famous faults...), and wrote that I was very disappointed that after 10 years, I was finally putting a lock on my locker because someone (I didn't name the person) was stealing. I also wrote, "I would like to think that whoever it is is just having a hard time and is working to become a better person," and signed my full name.
Eventually, I came to see this person through different eyes--they were having a very hard time in life and fighting drug addiction. I had even thought that I might be able to hire this person to help me with some work around my house as an extra source of income. But something in my heart told me, If you have them over to your house, they'll steal from you there as well.
I tried my best to be kind to the person and prayed for them. God changed my heart.
But, as you can see, it took a LOT of work.
How about the rest of you? Tell us about a time when you got pushed just a little too far... Did you stay in control, or snap? What things push you over the edge... and how does God help you maintain a spirit of control and forgiveness? (Or, if you fell off the wagon like I did, how did He get you back on track?)
What kinds of things push your buttons and how have you learned to cope? Are you good at managing anger (if so, give us all some tips), or have you found yourself in some hot water, all because you lost your temper?
Because God convicts me very heavily over honesty, dishonesty (stealing in particular) is one of my pet peeves. At my last job, someone was stealing my hairspray... and for some reason, it was really ticking me off. I'd put a new bottle in my locker and it would be gone in a week (I rarely used it.) What really irritated me was that in 10 years of working there, I'd only had things taken from me once before, and because of the ways our shifts were at work, you could always tell who was taking something from you. (I never kept anything valuable or personal in my locker).
And here's where I ignored my good Christian foundations.
I took an empty bottle of hairspray, filled it with red food coloring instead, and simply waited. The person I knew was taking using it was scheduled later that day... (and what irritated me the most is that I was 99% sure the reason it was disappearing so fast is not because of grooming issues--that wouldn't have bothered me--but because this person was using it to get high.) And then I " happened" to have a conversation about it with one of my bosses, who was like an uncle to me.
"Kim," he sighed, "Of course it's wrong that someone is stealing. But now that I know what you've done, I would have to discipline you as well." "Shoot," I replied defiantly, "A three-day suspension would be a vacation!! I'd just eat ramen noodles and watch TV!" But--and here's what finally got to my conscience--he said, "Two wrongs don't make something right."
Yowsers. For some reason, I knew the Holy Spirit was speaking to me. And so I took the bottle, threw it away, and posted a sign in the locker room (you see? I couldn't let it go! One of my famous faults...), and wrote that I was very disappointed that after 10 years, I was finally putting a lock on my locker because someone (I didn't name the person) was stealing. I also wrote, "I would like to think that whoever it is is just having a hard time and is working to become a better person," and signed my full name.
Eventually, I came to see this person through different eyes--they were having a very hard time in life and fighting drug addiction. I had even thought that I might be able to hire this person to help me with some work around my house as an extra source of income. But something in my heart told me, If you have them over to your house, they'll steal from you there as well.
I tried my best to be kind to the person and prayed for them. God changed my heart.
But, as you can see, it took a LOT of work.
How about the rest of you? Tell us about a time when you got pushed just a little too far... Did you stay in control, or snap? What things push you over the edge... and how does God help you maintain a spirit of control and forgiveness? (Or, if you fell off the wagon like I did, how did He get you back on track?)
Ugh, I'm paying you to get a service done, not so you can unload on me (I know thats super uncompassionate, but honestly, thats how I feel)
