It has been a few days since I have had time to sit down and write something. This week has been interesting. Remembering to stand for elders is still very difficult, but some of the other rules have gotten easier to follow. For example, I have stopped thinking about trimming my beard in the mornings. This may seem like a small feat, but if you have ever had to change your daily routine, then you know how hard it is to not fall back into the old ways.
I was raised to be a gentleman so when Stephanie told me I was going to have to open doors for her (and other people in general especially women) it didn’t strike me as a big deal since I had been doing that as best I could all my life. The funny thing is, it has gotten harder to do. The hardest is car doors as most women are used to getting them theirselves, they don’t usually think to let a man slip around on front of them and grab the door. I have had to learn to say things like “let me get that for you.”
One cool thing that has already started to show to me through this process is my awareness of those around me. Tonight Stephanie and I decided to go to Fridays because I had a gift card to use up. When we ordered our food, the waitress had misheard what I was ordering but I didn’t realize until after she had left and couldn’t seem to be able to flag her down to confirm my order. So the food came and sure enough, it wasn’t what I ordered. So I asked for her to correct it and she very politely did and apologized several times. Of course my instinct was to be grumpy and pouty the whole time and to leave a poor tip, but whole I was sitting there and Stephanie was praying before starting to eat her food I realized that I could have been more clear when I ordered and that this waitress is just trying to do her job as best as she can. So instead of shorting her tip or sending my plate back a second time when she came back with the entrée fixed and still the wrong sides, I tipped her just as well as I would have otherwise and thanked her for fixing our mistake. Little things like this go unnoticed by most, but you never know when they may mean a lot to someone and they always means a lot to God. Instead of taking revenge, I showed forgiveness…although I may have still been a little pouty towards Stephanie when the waitress wasn’t nearby…
So I guess the moral of tonight’s post is that even the little things count to God. Do your best to live as He would and to be aware of those around you.
Good night and God bless!
-Michael
Ancient Living 