SHUT YOUR MOUTH

Something I read on another blog reminded me of a defining moment in my life. Our family of 5 (3 boys) had just returned from a vacation and we were anxious to get our pictures developed to show family that evening. This was before all the digital stuff and before there was a photo developer on every corner. So, for us, the nearest one was at the Winn-Dixie. I took the pictures there and asked for the quickest developing....they said 1 hour. So, I along with 2 of my sons and my husband decided we would wait and do some grocery shopping while we waited. Now, on this whole earth, the one person who I least like to shop with is my husband. He is Mr. Bargain. If there are 6 varieties of macaroni...we must pick up each one, examine its qualities, and compare it to the other 5. Only then can we place it in the buggy to take home...confident that we have made a selection worth of being called a "good steward." This applies not only to macaroni...but to every item which has a selection of brands. So, in a grocery store like Winn-Dixie, that would be quite a few. Oh...it takes a big chunk of time to go shopping with him. Well, when we were finally finished with our "comparison shopping", I went to pick up the pictures while Don went to check out. I went up to the counter and asked for my pictures. Girl looks around...can't find them in the completed box. "Surely they are there, I left them almost 2 hours ago." She looked in every box and finally she found them...over to the side..UNdeveloped! Well, I was all kinds of upset. I needed those pictures then...I had spent 2 hours in the grocery store with the most price concious shopper in town, and I had answered countless questions from 2 little guys who couldn't understand why they could buy it when Mom was shopping, but not when Dad was. I was tired and put out and mad! The words welled up in my mouth to tell this young girl just what I though about her and Winn-Dixie and my husband and my children and the world. Oh, I was so angry...I would have gotten everybody. When all of a sudden...I heard a voice(in my head) say, "Shut your mouth." I am assuming it was the Lord and that He used those strong words with me because that is all that would stop me at that point. And stop me it did! I shut my mouth, regained my senses, and said to the girl, "that's o.k., I make mistakes sometimes too. Do you think you could run them now, please?" With tears in her eyes, she said yes and that I was so kind and she was so sorry. I told her I would be back in an hour and turned to go. There standing right behind me was son #2. I didn't know he was with me. He looked at me and said, "that was a really Christian thing to do, Mom." Well, of course I felt like a worm...because doing the Christian thing was not my idea. But, I learned alot that day about listening to that voice within. You never know who is watching or listening. You never know who you will be impressing and what kind of impression it will be. Thank-you ,God, for the lesson.